Diverging Timelines: Cutaway 3 - Shattered in the Dust
by Space-Time-Leapers
Summary: Recommend reading after Ch. 7 of Book 3 but not necessary. The Doctor has gone to the Meridian Conglomeration in search for a cure to ZBI for Sam Beckett. However, tragedy strikes when Glad is kidnapped by two brothers intent on exacting revenge on the Time Lord. With the help of an old friend, can the Doctor find Glad before she's sold as a sex slave? No sex but some dark stuff.
1. Chapter 1

_This story is part of the Diverging Timelines series and features original character Galadriel Thatcher and Quantum Leap character Sam Beckett. It occurs after chapter 7 of Book 4 in the series but was diverted into a separate story as it slowed the pace of the main story of the saga. _

_To summarize the situation, the Doctor traveled to the Seven Cities of the Great Meridian Conglomeration in order to obtain medicine for Zante's Bronchial Influenza, which Sam caught on a previous journey. While obtaining the medicine, the Doctor discovered that Glad had disappeared and is now on a search for her as he was unable to find her immediately._

**Diverging Timelines: Shattered in the Dust**

**(Book 4A)**

_"Your idol is __shattered__ in the dust to prove that God's dust is greater than your idol." - _Rabindranath Tagore

**Chapter 1**

"Pelz, I need your help."

It wasn't often that the Doctor needed help and even less often that he admitted it aloud. The events of that day, however, had led him into the heart of Glant City, the main metropolis of the Seven Cities of the Great Meridian Conglomeration, to a man he'd known many years and two regenerations before. It was fortunate that he was in the proper time to find him again.

He had found the man in the basement room... calling it an apartment would have been exaggerating its function... where he had hidden with the other man after breaking out of jail. That had been a pivotal time when the military had attempted a coup to take over the GMC. Pelz had fought beside him as he'd done what he could to bring the rightful government back to power. He'd just burst in, declaring his need as he did so, slamming the door behind him and causing the man jump out of a cot and onto the floor, clearly startled by the sudden interruption in his sleep pattern.

"What the hell?" complained the tall, wiry red-haired man with freckles that numbered like the Milky Way.

"I need your help, Pelz," the Doctor repeated.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Pelz was feeling for his weapon, which he always kept under the thin mattress within reach.

"You know this city better than the Governor herself." He scrunched his nose slightly. "Not that the Governor really knows much about this city, considering its size." He nodded towards the mattress. "And you can leave the gun. I never have liked guns."

"How do you know I have a gun here?" the man asked. He finally had it and pulled it up. "I'm going to ask again, and this time I suggest you tell me. Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor." His voice indicated that he expected the answer to be obvious to him.

"The Doctor?" Pelz stated with confusion. "Can't be. The Doctor was a Time Lord and, from what I understand, they're gone."

"Not all of them," the Gallifreyan replied, his voice soft as he considered the reality Pelz had proclaimed.

The local man observed the stranger, reading in his eyes the pain that accompanied the statement. His response acknowledged the words with a tone that showed his empathy to the pain. "I'm glad to hear that at least some have survived but..." He looked the man up and down. "I'm sorry, but you're not Joniah Smyt."

"Oh! The face! Right. I did look quite a bit different the last time you saw me. Long curly hair, blue eyes... Was very fond of the Edwardian era. Wore a cravat! You'd never catch me in a cravat these days." He paused, reminiscing. "Blimey, that was... a long time ago. Well, for me, anyway. For you, it was about four cycles ago."

"What are you talking about?" the ginger man asked, looking at him again. "Even plastic surgery isn't this good. Body shape's all different. The voice is totally wrong."

"What's wrong with this accent? I'm rather fond of this accent. Well, I liked my Liverpool accent when I had it but still..." He noted the way Pelz seemed to tense, ready to shoot him at a moment's notice. "You fire that thing and you'll know exactly why I look different. I'll change right in front of you. And I'd rather not give up a life just yet, especially when my companion doesn't know about regeneration." He paused. "And neither do you. Well... this is awkward. Probably should have told you about that. But I thought you knew about it since you knew what a Time Lord was. And I am the Doctor. Honest."

Pelz wavered. "Well, you don't sound or look like him, but you really have the manic... insanity that isn't done well. What's all this about regeneration?"

"My people have a way of cheating death, sort of. If it seems as if I'm about to die, I can change every cell in my body, thus preventing my death and changing my appearance. And as I said before, I'd rather not change my appearance any time soon, especially since I have so very few regenerations left - I only have twelve total and I've already used nine. So I would greatly appreciate if you would put that thing away. Besides, you don't really want to shoot ol' Smytty, do you?"

Pelz blinked at the use of the name. A smile curled on his face. "Okay. If you really are Smytty, tell me what happened to the Purple Flame of Zarkar."

"That little bauble?" the Doctor questioned with a grin. "You were trying to sell it to get money to buy food for the Resistance and we both wound up being arrested for it, even though I was just shopping. Talk about being in the wrong place at the right time."

"Smytty!" Pelz exclaimed. "I'm not really sure about this regeneration thing, but you're definitely him! How the hell are you?"

"Not bad myself. And you?" He pointed to the gun in his friend's hand. "You might want to put that away."

"Oh, yeah," Pelz said, looking down at the weapon. "Sorry. Old war habit. You've got to admit, if you'd been in my shoes, you would have felt the need to protect yourself."

"I don't use guns," the Doctor told him bluntly, his face quite serious. "I don't resort to violence unless absolutely necessary. You know that."

"Yeah, but..." the red-haired man started. Seeing the look on the Doctor's face, he decided it wasn't worth the argument, "...I'm not a Time Lord. We simple folk have to handle things the best way we can." He put the gun away quickly.

"Thank you," the Gallifreyan told him, seeing the gun was placed out of sight.

"So... you say you need my help. What's the caper?"

"We aren't stealing the Diamond Sapphire of Alnaz from the Grenaldi brothers... assuming you've gone back to your previous profession," the Doctor teased him in their old familiar pattern as he sat on a dilapidated chair.

"No, haven't done that since the Purple Flame. Meeting you changed my point of view about a lot of things. I'm a private eye now. Not much business recently though."

"You think?" came another teasing response as the Gallifreyan gestured to his surroundings.

"Not my fault. The new government's putting in some licensure requirements that I'm on the wrong side of at the moment. Makes it a bit hard to be respectable." He paused. "You wouldn't happen to have 10,000 _krekkers_ on you? I'd pay you back... eventually."

"Ouch. Steep."

"Why do you think I'm living here again?"

"I thought it was for the ambiance."

"Well, there is that," Pelz shot back. "Seriously, though... you said you need my help. What's up?"

"A friend of mine has been abducted."

"Abducted?" Pelz responded with a raise of his eyebrow. He considered the Doctor's words. "I haven't heard anything along that line. Kidnapping carries the sentence of forty cycles. It's not a crime that's seen much recently, especially since we're still rebuilding from the war."

"Even stranger is that she's never been here before today." The Time Lord reached into his pocket and pulled out the broken music box, tossing it to Pelz. "Apparently, whoever took her used _phenix_ acid to subdue her. And quickly, too. I was across the street and didn't hear or see a thing."

Pelz sniffed the wood. "That's _phenix _acid for sure." He was thoughtful as well. "A she?" An idea popped up. "How old?"

"Sixteen Earth years. That would be about fifteen cycles old here." He proceeded to give Pelz a detailed description of Glad.

"Could be a victim of the human trafficking trade," Pelz commented, having considered the Doctor's description.

The Doctor stiffened noticeably at his words. "When did the Seven Cities develop human trafficking?"

"It's been there forever. Black market kind of sales. Nothing 'official.'" A few seconds went by as he considered how to describe it better. "People always need 'assistants' and some are willing to bend others to those needs."

"And the government just turn their back." The Doctor took a deep breath. "What kind of 'assistants?'"

"Well, various types," Pelz said, thinking. "Some manual labor, domestic work, and restaurants but sex is usually what they're nabbed for."

"I need to find her. Where could I find her if she was taken to be sold into slavery?"

Pelz took a breath. He looked down for a moment. "There are some people I might be able to talk to. Don't know if it will help or not, but it might generate a lead. Can you give me a day?"

"I'm not good with waiting."

"You might check at the market. Sometimes you hear some snippets."

"I already tried there." The alien exhaled slowly, now slumping in the chair, despair setting in. "She's sixteen, Pelz. Sixteen. Still just a child. And here I come along, take her away from her home to show her the universe... and wind up causing her to be nabbed by slave traders."

"You don't know that for sure," Pelz started, realizing too late that the other possibility was even more dire.

"Why else would she have been taken?" The Doctor shook his head. "It's my fault she's missing. I should have kept a closer eye on her."

"Well, you might want to check the market again, especially now. The official market is closed but the one you're interested in is just getting started."

"Meaning the black market."

"Exactly. New stuff is always showing, if you know what I mean. Just be careful." When the Doctor gave him a look that said he didn't need such a warning, Pelz clarified. "I know you're good but there were some that came out of the war more vicious than black _phleepers_. So watch yourself."

"I'll walk through it on the way back to my ship. And I'll be careful."

Pelz nodded before getting up and putting on his jacket. "Well, if I'm going to help you, no time like the present. You have a way for me to contact you if I get a lead?"

"My ship is about a twentieth of a day from here towards the east. Just go up and knock on the door."

"You still riding around in that blue box?"

The Doctor gave him a slight smile. "Wouldn't give her up for the universe."

"Yeah, well. Seems a bit small to me."

"Says the man living in a 10 by 10 room in the basement of a warehouse."

"Hey, it's bigger than your place." Pelz gestured to the door, locking it as they exited to the hallway.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," the Gallifreyan told him as they walked. He knew that Pelz, when he'd met him in his 8th incarnation, had never even seen the inside of the TARDIS. Stopping at the stairs, he turned to the private eye. "Thank you," he said sincerely. Then without another word, he bounded up, finding his way out of the warehouse. Having an excellent sense of direction - despite what some of his companions might say - he went into a brisk walk towards his ship.

An hour later, he found himself wandering the same market that he had before, only this time it was different. The lack of sunlight seemed to have transformed the area from a bustling commerce district reminiscent of 21st century London to the East End of that same city in the late 19th century. Throughout the market area, there were females of various species tempting customers to avail themselves of their sordid services. One in particular tried to draw the Time Lord's attentions and became upset when he brushed her off.

"What's the matter with you, you _notrisz_? Don't you like the ladies? If you like it the other way, you're in the wrong part of the market," she sneered at him loudly.

He ignored the jibe, waving a hand as he continued through the market, his eyes searching. "Where are you, Glad?" he murmured after a long moment, paying no attention to the odd glances he was earning. He sniffed, looking across the street at one of denizens of the seedy underbelly of Glant trying to sell what were likely counterfeit goods. He frowned slightly, his eyes focused on the object around the man's neck.

He ran across through the billowing crowd, yanking the object off of the man, who complained angrily. The Gallifreyan examined it with wide eyes. "Where did you get this?" he demanded, holding up the necklace, which sported a large pendant with the Eye of Horus emblazoned upon it.

"I bought it," the man said snidely, snatching it back. "That's what I do. Buy things and then sell them. It's called running a business."

The alien grabbed it back again. "But who sold you this? When? What did he look like?"

The man snatched it from his hands again. "Do you want to buy this trinket? If you do, I'll be happy to part with it for the right price. As to where I bought it, it's a one of a kind. A young man said it was his grandmother's and they needed the cash to buy her medicine. Real gold, it is. Has some kind of inlaid stone and I'm not really sure what the jewel is. Might just be cut glass but I don't think so."

"And you honestly believed that story?"

"Doesn't matter if I believe it or not, now does it. I'm sure it's real gold. Tested it myself. Like I say, I don't know what the jewel is but it doesn't appear to be glass."

The Gallifreyan considered briefly about pulling out his psychic paper and using some coercion to obtain the necklace from the hooligan but quickly tossed the idea from his mind. While there were instances when impersonating authority figures were to his advantage, he didn't think it would be a good idea in the middle of a black market which the government basically allowed as long as the non-violent criminal element remained non-violent. "Fine. How much?" he relented.

"50,000 _krekkers_." The man watched as the Time Lord pulled out a Platernian card. "Yeah, right! You think I'm stupid? I want coin and paper."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "I don't carry cash. Who carries cash these days?"

"You must be an _ofenvorldkin_. Let me clue you in... when you come to this market, that's all anyone takes. No cash, no necklace. Simple as that."

"How about barter?"

"Depends on what you're bartering. I don't take _wegp_. It's got to be worth something."

The Gallifreyan proceeded to dig into his pockets, pulling out various items. When he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and noted how the man's eyes widened with greed, he grimaced. "No. Not for trade," he told him, tucking the device some place safe. He suddenly smiled as he felt his hand glide across a smooth, hard object. Pulling out an tennis ball sized multicolored gem, he held it out to allow the light to shine on it. "A Quertlan diamond. Very rare. Trade you for the necklace and information about who sold it to you."

"Not so fast. That's pretty nice but it might take awhile to sell it. What else you got?"

The Doctor frowned but tucked the diamond back into his pocket before pulling out various items. "A bag of jelly babies... ceramic mug from Rextar Seven..."

"Jelly babies?" the man questioned with a frown.

"An Earth delicacy." He handed one to the man.

The trader's eyes rose as he tasted the treat. "Hmm, maybe...what else?"

"Ah, here's something." The Gallifreyan then produced a long shaft with a carved small totem handle. "This is one of the finest obsidian carvings from the Drelub hill people of Jinwer 2."

"Looks like a knife."

"It is a knife. I couldn't let that father keep threatening his neighbors with it, now could I. But I'll give it to you in exchange for the necklace."

"I want the gem too..."

"Fine," came the reply as the Doctor handed over the knife and then dug in his pockets for the gem.

"...and the jelly babies."

The Gallifreyan blinked at the request before giving a shrug and pulling out both the gem and the bag of treats.

"They taste good," the man explained as they made the trade.

"Completely addicted to them," the Doctor agreed as he grasped the necklace tightly in hand. "Now, who sold you this necklace?"

"I told you. It was a young man who said he was down on his luck. He really did say this was his grandmother's necklace. Look at it. Doesn't it look like something some old lady would wear?"

"Actually, it looks like something a very young lady would wear," the Doctor contradicted. "And it is indeed a unique piece of jewelry. One of a kind. Have a description of this man?"

"Well, he was rather scrawny. Had on nice clothing but nothing really fancy, you know. Sort of like what you're wearing. He had a scar over his right eye. I remember that clearly. Asked him about it. He told me to mind my own business."

"Anything else? Height? Weight?"

"I don't know. Maybe a few inches shorter than you. As I say, he was scrawny. Light brown hair and sort of sea green eyes."

The Doctor nodded. "Right. Nice doing business with you," he told the trader, walking away from him at a brisk pace.

"Mmm," the man replied, a mouthful of jelly babies keeping his words muffled.

The Time Lord moved through the market quickly, avoiding as much as possible from being noticed, his mind running through the information that he'd just been given. While sea green eyes weren't exactly a common thing on this world, skinny, tall and scarred young men were very likely a dime a dozen. Still, it was a lead, something for him to ponder on.

Running his thumb over the pendant, he tucked the necklace into his pocket and marched for the TARDIS. There was little he could do at the moment. He knew he'd have to provide Pelz with this new information but he'd have to wait until his old friend found him this time. Still, he could think about what he did know and, hopefully, something would click in his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Earlier that day_

A tall, bulky figure stood opposite the apothecary, watching a thirty-something man and a young girl interact with each other. The man grunted slightly before speaking in a low voice, seemingly to himself but in actuality in a hidden comm. "It's him, all right. And he's got himself a pretty little thing."

"Are you sure?" came the answer in his ear.

"'Course I'm sure. Watched him stepping out of that blue box of his. He looks different, though. Maybe plastic surgery or something. But he's still got that arrogant look on his face. Besides, don't know anyone else what has a blue box like that."

"So... what's happening then? I guess she's staying close to him."

"Actually, he went into a medshop. Guess he's feeling a little down."

"What's the girl doing?"

"Looking at some pretties," the man told his partner. "So, what do you think, Mlark? Want me to nap him when he gets out?"

There was a pause. "I have a better idea, Kelb. Nap the pretty thing. That'll get his attention."

Kelb shook his head. "I don't know..." he murmured. "What would we do with her?"

"Don't you think it would upset him if we took his tart away from him?"

Kelb huffed. "There's an empty-brainer. I mean, what do we do _with_ her after we nap her?"

"We just keep her under lock and key. Keep her awhile and let him get all concerned and stuff. Then we spring on him that he can get her back for a price."

"And if he won't pay up?"

"He will. He'd never leave someone he cared about behind." Mlark paused. "And if he doesn't? Well... does she look like the type that would sell on the market?"

"Oh," he answered with what was obviously appreciation. "She's fit. I think we could probably get more out of her on the market than from Smyt."

"Well... maybe we'll do a double-cross on him. Would serve him right."

Kelb gave a short huff of a laugh. "You got that right. Okay. I'll nap her in a minute. Can you have the transport ready at the end of the alley?"

"You bet. Be there in less than five at the Byrk Street exit."

Kelb nodded at the answer but didn't reply. Instead, he slowly stepped out of the shadows and lowered the hood on his head, putting on a casual appearance as he sauntered towards the girl. A couple of feet away from her, he turned as if a particular item caught his attention and then slowly "perused" the selections before him, inching his way towards her before bumping into her. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked the girl, touching her shoulder.

Glad was surprised at the bump but not any more so than she would have in the market at home. "No. You didn't." She turned back to what she'd been looking at. It was a little carved music box. When opened, a toy that looked like a clown jumped up and down to the music.

"That's good," he answered with a grin. "You come here often?" he asked, reaching into his pocket.

"My first time," she said turning back to the friendly man.

"Me too. Looking for a present for my brother. I think I see one, though."

"What are you going to get him?"

Kelb looked around for a moment before smiling widely. "You," he told her bluntly. A second later, he covered her mouth with a cloth, wrapped an arm around her chest and dragged her back around the kiosk and into the crowd.

Glad didn't have a chance to scream. She dropped the music box and tried to struggle but whatever was in the cloth made her sleepy. Within seconds, she was limp.

"That's it, little girl. Nighty-night time," he told her as he drug her through the market towards the exit Mlark had indicated. Not a soul took issue at such a sight since it wasn't unusual for a person to need help leaving due to alcohol intoxication. As promised, the transport car was waiting for him. "Easiest snatch I ever did! Boy, is she thick! Probably doesn't have a suspicious bone in her body. She's going to be an easy sell."

Mlark laughed. "I'd love to see Smyt's face when he finds his precious pretty's gone."

"Got that right. It'll be priceless!" Kelb pulled her hair away from her face. "Hey, check this out."

"What's that thing?"

"Don't know. Nice stuff, though." He lifted the Eye of Horus pendant off her chest to get a better look. "Look at the way it shines. And I think that's gold around that jewel."

"Hmmm... This might be even more profitable than we thought. Take it off her. We'll sell it." Mlark looked at the necklace with interest as Kelb took it from Glad's body. "Not nearly as pretty off her neck as on it. Oh, well. Someone out there will buy it." He watched Kelb climb out of the transport. "I'll get this pretty back to the kennel, then. You better get our worth out of that necklace. I'll meet you back there."

"You got it." Kelb smiled, his teeth gleaming. It didn't take him long to find a buyer for the necklace, especially after he gave a sob story that it belonged to his grandmother and that they were forced to sell it in order to buy medication for her. With the money safely in his pocket, he made his way through the streets via public transportation requiring multiple transfers to a run-down visually non-descript building. The odor from the place, though, wasn't. It smelled of animals, captivity, and fear.

Kelb walked into the kennel, hitting his hand with a fan of krekkers. "10,000 _krekkers_. Not too bad, eh," he said to his brother.

Mlark grinned. "Not bad at all. Pretty is still out like a light. I put her in kennel two. Figured we better keep her nice and soft. She'll sell better that way."

"Yeah. You got any leads as to who's buying young girls now?"

"Big question is... who isn't?" he grinned broadly. "Besides, we took her across district lines. We clean her up nice and pretty, put her on the market..."

Even as he spoke, a low moan came from the kennel in question. "Oh, my head," the girl murmured, touching her forehead in an attempt to ease the pain.

"She's awake," Kelb said needlessly.

"Ya think?" Mlark commented with a roll of his eyes. He took a step towards the kennel, dropping down into a crouch. "Morning, sunshine. Or rather, evening."

Glad startled at the sound of the male voice in her ears, her eyes instantly open and searching. "Who are you?" she demanded. "Where am I?" She grimaced slightly as the smell of the place filled her nostril. "Ugh. Smells like an unwashed barn in here." She looked around again, desperation tinting her eyes. "Where's the Doctor?"

Kelb laughed. "Doctor? Never heard of him. Your Joniah Smyt, on the other hand, is probably running around Grecia District trying to find you, not that he'll succeed. As to where you are, you're with us."

"Who's Joniah Smyt? Where are we?"

"We're at our kennel. Nice one, eh. Hope you don't mind your accommodations. Looks like Mlark cleaned it up okay." He nodded to the long, concrete floored room. It was obviously used to keep animals, but a mattress had been thrown in.

Glad looked at the small area, noticing the steel bars and the mattress. "You put me in a cage? Why? Am I under arrest?" She swallowed, slowly standing. She again looked at Kelb, a frown on her face as she remembered what had happened. "I know you. You said you were getting a gift for your brother and then..." Fury edged into her eyes. "You abducted me!"

"Oh... she's a bright, ain't she," Kelb tossed over his shoulder to Mlark. He looked back at her. "Yeah. You must have missed me telling you that you were the gift. 'Course you'd been knocked out by then."

"She's brilliant," his brother replied sarcastically. "She's thick as mud pudding. She'll be easy to handle."

"You let me out of here!" Glad ordered. "You let me out of here now! Take me back!"

"Not a chance, missy. You're worth too much." Kelb turned to his brother. "What do you think? 750,000 _krekkers_?"

"Maybe more, depending on what's under all that cloth," Mlark answered.

"You're going to sell me?" she exclaimed. "You can't do that!"

"Course we can. Just find a buyer, get our_ krekkers_ and you're theirs"

"But that's... that's just... wrong! I'm a free person! I don't belong to anyone!"

"Right now, girlie... you belong to us," Mlark told her.

She folded her arms over her chest, trying to be brave considering the circumstances. "And who in bloody hell are you?"

"We're the bloody Flarng brothers, that's who," Kelb answered.

Mlark gave him a glare. "Shut your yap for a change, will ya? Bad enough you're pandering to this _prat_."

"Who are you calling a _prat_?" Glad retaliated, not knowing what a _prat_ was but getting the distinct impression by Mlark's tone that the word was an insult.

"He's calling you a _prat, prat_." Kelb turned back to his brother. "So. What'll we do next? Huh? Send a randsom note?" He scrunched his forehead. "How much you think he'll pay for her release?"

"Anything we ask," Mlark told him, looking over Glad as if she were already undressed.

Glad frowned. "What's a randsom note?"

"It's ransom, not randsom," Mlark lectured both of them. He turned to Kelb. "You're as thick as she is!"

"I'm not thick!" she yelled at him.

Kelb shrugged. "Whatever." He rubbed at his stomach. "I could do with a bite. How about you?"

"I guess," Mlark answered, his eyes on Glad for a long moment before he turned away. Even as he did so, though, a metallic bang reached his ears, telling him that their prisoner had hit the bars of the cage and was shaking them.

"_Let me out!_" she demanded loudly. "Let me out now! When the Doctor gets hold of you, he's going to rip your head off!"

Kelb looked on as what seemed to him to be a crazed teenager went wild. "What the hell's the matter with her? We ain't hurt her none."

Mlark huffed. "Females are getting so disrespectful these days. Don't pay attention. Go grab your bite. I'll join you soon enough, once I teach this pretty some manners."

Kelb looked at his brother and noticed the gleam that he got in his eyes when he was angry. He had felt that anger aimed towards him and wondered exactly how she was going to be taught her manners. With a nervous, "Okay. Be back soon," he turned and left.

Glad gripped the bars of the kennel tightly as if just squeezing them would open the door. She watched with fury as the one known as Mlark turned towards the kennel.

"You're going to stop being a _prat_, you hear me?" he said with his most menacing voice. "And that starts with not yelling. You got that?"

She gasped slightly, taking a couple of steps away from the bars. She tried hard not to show how his voice frightened her. "Fine. I won't yell. I'll scream at the top of my lungs until the Doctor comes!"

He hit the bars hard. "No! No yelling, no screaming. Especially to no doctor. Just be a good little girl, you got that?" His lips turned up cruelly. "Won't be a girl much longer, though."

She took a shaky breath, her fear starting to show. "You don't scare me," she lied.

"I should," Mlark sneered. "Remember, I get to choose who we sell you too. I can choose someone that breaks a new girl in gently or one that throws her to the _wopruts_."

"The Doctor will stop you," she answered, her voice growing quiet. She raised her hands and tucked them under her chin. Frowning, she looked down and noticed her Eye of Horus pendant was missing. "Where's my necklace? Where's my necklace?!" she demanded, her voice rising again at the loss.

"You won't need that where you're going. They don't allow the skanks to keep any jewelry..." At her blank look, he finished, "...so since someone was going to sell it, Kelb and I figured it should be us."

"You what?" Tears started to form in her eyes. "But Merlin gave me that necklace! It's mine! You had no right!"

"Listen, girly. You need to understand the new reality you're living now. You have no rights. You're going to be sold and the only people with rights are going to be the ones that pay your master for your services. Got it?"

Glad swallowed tightly, forcibly straightening herself. "The Doctor will stop you. He'll rescue me. He's a Knight of the Round Table."

Mlark shrugged. "Whatever that is. I told you I don't know anything about no doctor. Why aren't you crying about Joniah Smyt? After all, he was the one that brought you here in that blue box. Doesn't matter, though. Neither of them's going to rescue you and if, by some chance they find you after we've sold you, I doubt either one of them will want you anymore."

It didn't take long for her to make the connection Mlark was giving her, that the man they called Joniah Smyt and the Doctor were the same person and she told him so before realizing the sexual implication he was making. "You think I... that he... He would never! He's chivalrous and noble! Unlike you! You're just a coward!"

"Yeah, well... this time the cowardly approach is the winning one. By the time he finds you..." His eyes turned harder, "...if he finds you, Kelb and I will be long gone having reclaimed the life your precious Doctor Smyt took away from us. We just want what's ours." He gave her a once over look again. "If you're the ticket to that and it hurts Smyt in the meantime, that's just the cherry on top of the sundae."

"Don't you hurt him!" she growled, banging on the bars again, the thought of her friend being harmed infuriating her.

Laughing without humor, Mlark answered, "Oh. He'll be hurt. That much I can guarantee you. We plan on making him feel the pain of your loss deeply." Mlark then turned and walked out of the room, turning the lights out as he did so and leaving Glad in utter darkness.

With the lights out, it seemed as if Glad's bravado went out with him. Lowering herself to the floor, she sobbed softly, feeling more helpless than she could ever remember feeling before.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Pelz walked away from his flat, shaking his head. He'd found the first time he'd met Smytty that the man wasn't exactly "same ol' same ol'." Indeed he was the most unique individual he'd ever met. Now, Smytty had come back sporting a totally different appearance and manner. If that didn't prove his uniqueness, nothing would. And, based on the dilemma he'd presented, he needed his former partner's help... and Pelz was happy to provide it.

The Meridicon - residents of the Seven Cities were called Meridicons - headed down to the seedier part of the capital and entered a bar. Pulling up a stool, he waited until the bartender moved towards him. "Hello, Frantz. How are things tonight?"

Frantz gave him a cold eye. "Nothing for you to pick up here, Pelz," he told him bluntly. "And I'm not interested in any of those waxing _wavestones_ you tried to pawn on me the last time. This is a bar, not a bazaar."

Pelz gave a short, nervous laugh. "Hey, I just thought you might want to get in on the craze, ok? I'm not selling anything now." He closed down that line of conversation. "Just give me a beer."

The bartender took a slow breath, pulling a draft of extremely thick-looking beer before placing it in front of his semi-frequent customer. "You gonna pay with _krekkers_ this time?"

"Yeah."

Frantz held out his hand. "Cash up front." The would-be customer looked affronted at his words. "Hey, I'm a business man."

Pelz dug into his trousers and pulled out a ratty wallet. Pulling out 100 _krekkers_, he threw them on bar. "You're a hard man, Frantz."

Seeing the _krekkers_ on the bar, the proprietor finally released his hold of the beverage, gathering the moneyto put in his cashbox. Seeing Pelz's eyes following him as he attempted to go to the other side of the bar, he stopped and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I know that look. What do you want?"

"I want to know the word on the street if there's any new young girls available."

"You looking?"

"Let's just say, I have a client with a taste for them and some serious _krekkers _to pay for it."

"I never knew you to traffic in such commodities before. You said even you had a limit. Besides, aren't you some sort of private eye or something now?"

The conman lifted his beer and took a sip before shrugging. "Well, when you've gone without a decent meal for awhile, it's amazing how low that limit can go. Got to survive after all and the _peepers_ business isn't paying the bills right now."

Frantz looked around for a moment before returning to Pelz. He looked at the bar in front of him. "You know... I never noticed that large scratch there before. It'll cost me a pretty _krekker_ to fix that up."

"I'm willing to share some of my profit... for the right girl."

The bartender seemed to consider his words before leaning forward. "I've got a few ideas where you can get a girl. Question is, how much is your client wanting to spend?

"Not just any girl. He likes exotics. You know, sort of elfen? Dark hair and light eyes."

"Haven't heard much about any elves available."

"Elfish," Pelz said emphatically.

"Human?"

"Yeah." The Doctor's friend took a long drink of his beer. "This needs to be kept quiet though, you know? Would hate to have anyone trying to get in on the deal. Means more for the two of us, eh?"

Frantz nodded slightly. "Absolutely. Again, haven't heard anything. Still, if'n something does reach my ears, I'll let you know."

Finishing his beer, the set-up man pushed the empty mug back to the bartender. "Great. I'll stop in tomorrow."

"Well, I'm not sure I'll have the girl you're looking for by then. Gotta give me a little time," Frantz protested. "Got my own sources to check, you know."

Pelz got up from his stool. "Yeah... well, we might get lucky. Sooner we find such a girl, the sooner we'll be rolling in _krekkers_."

The proprietor tapped on the bar. "Of course, my sources are going to want money up front. An' seein' as we are partners on this venture now, I assume that you are willin' to part with your share of their fees." He held out his hand, indicating exactly what he meant. "That is, of course, unless your client really doesn't want that fine elfin girl."

Knowing he'd hooked the suds-shover, the red-haired man shook his head. "Sorry, but can't. I came to you first but if you don't want in..."

"Now that just ain't fair. You come in here with an offer but you expect me to put in the money all alone? You know I can get the girl. I just want to make sure that, seein' as we are partners, we get the kind of quality our client is lookin' for."

"Just let me know if there's any talk."

The bartender gave him a hard look. "Right." He pointed at him. "Just don't expect me to pick up the tab at the end. You've already taken enough frees from me. You ain't gettin' anymore."

"Trust me, I get you. Sheesh, you act like I've never made it worth your while to let loose on the info."

"Yeah, well, the last time, your scheme cost me four barstools, a table, and a barrel of beer. Let's just say I'm being more cautious this time."

"Hey. That wasn't my fault. Can I help it if the woman turned out to be married... to a mobster?"

Frantz huffed a laugh. "Get out of here, you miscreant. Go bother someone else. I'll tell you if I hear anything."

"Thanks, Frantz. You're the best." Pelz left and headed down the street, hitting a few other bars on his way back and laying down similar lines. Then, he figured he should check in with Smytty. He headed toward the blue box.

DWQLTQDWQLTW

Glad's Eye of Horus necklace dangled delicately from the Doctor's fingertips. Just finding the necklace had confirmed to him that the girl hadn't just gone missing. Ever since Merlin had given her the necklace, it had hardly been off her neck. The only time she ever took it off was for sleep or when she showered, though the Doctor had to convince her to take it off to prevent damage to it or herself. When asleep, she kept it under her pillow to assure herself of its safety. Walking through the console room, he carefully put it around his own neck. Just the weight of it there made him feel that much closer to the girl, causing him to realize how much he cared for the medieval teen, although he'd only known her a short time.

A brief visit to Sam's room proved to the Doctor that the physicist was still asleep. Feeling his forehead, he noted the fever had dropped a couple of degrees, assuring the Time Lord that the medicine was doing its job. Briefly stepping from the room to prepare the next dose, he mixed the appropriate amount of medicine before gently nudging the sick man awake. The leaper whimpered slightly at the interruption, drinking the concoction obediently before slipping back into sleep. Taking a breath, the Doctor made sure that his patient was well-covered and turned to leave when he noticed Glad's toy duck sitting on the nightstand. Figuring that Sam wouldn't be cognizant enough to notice that the toy was missing, he picked it up and found that the weight of it in his hands was comforting to him, as if the duck was telling him that Glad would never allow it to be left behind. Giving the toy a squeeze, he left and returned to the console room. He slumped into the Captain's chair, thinking about what little he had learned and hoping that Glad would be found safe and sound.

As he sat, considering how it had all gone so wrong, he heard the sound of knocking on the door of the TARDIS. There was only one person that would even know to knock. "Come in," said the Time Lord distractedly as he tucked the rubber duck into his pocket.

There was a short pause before the door opened. The red-headed man looked around at the large room with wide eyes and immediately turned and headed back outside. The Doctor counted the seconds, figuring a man like Pelz would take thirty seconds, give or take five, before making up his mind to stay or not. At thirty-three seconds exactly, and two instances of the man going in and out of the TARDIS, the door reopened and the Meridicon stated emphatically, "That's impossible." However, he didn't leave again.

The Doctor rolled his eyes slightly. "Either come in or stay out. What are you, a bloody cat? I don't recall installing a cat flap on the door anytime in the last 900 years."

Pelz stopped looking around the room, curious about the Doctor's words. "What's a cat?"

"Small mammal with fur from the planet Earth," he answered. Seeing the confusion on his friend's face, he sighed. "Well, come on up the ramp. I assume you're here for a reason. Anything on my friend?"

The ginger man shook his head. "Might be too early. You said she went missing this afternoon."

The Gallifreyan nodded slightly. "But you've come here for a reason."

Pelz nodded, moving closer to the Doctor. "I stopped by a few places where I get my leads. I've got feelers out. We should hear something soon."

"Wonder who you were feeling when you put out your feelers," the Time Lord murmured, sniffing the air slightly.

"Listen, finding out things that criminals do means going to the type of dives that cater to them, okay? What do you want me to do? Put an ad in the paper?"

The Time Lord raised an eyebrow at the tone in his words. "If you think that would help. But I seriously doubt that an ad would bring about any positive results."

"Ha ha." Pelz looked around. "So what is this place?"

"It's my ship."

"Yeah... well... why haven't you ever had me aboard before?"

"You never asked to come aboard before."

"Based on its appearance, I always thought it would be a little cramped... and I don't like you that way."

"Good. The feeling is quite mutual." He gave him a knowing smile. "Why did you come in this time if you thought it would be... well... intimate?"

"You sounded depressed," the Meridicon stated. The moment he said it, he wasn't sure how his friend would interpret how that had been phrased, especially since it didn't sound very platonic to him... not that he'd meant it that way. He had nothing to worry about.

"She's sixteen years old, kidnapped on an alien world far from her home, and could possibly be sold into slavery for another's sexual perversions. If she were your friend, wouldn't you be a little depressed?"

"Yeah, I get that. That's why I wanted you to know the feelers are out."

"Thank you," the Doctor told him. He took a slow breath. "Did as you suggested. Went back to the market to see if I could find anything. Found this." He indicated the pendant hanging around his neck.

The Meridicon looked at the necklace. He knew it was a quality work. "I can't see you going out jewelry shopping under the conditions. I suppose this piece is related to the girl's disappearance?"

"It's hers. She was wearing it when she disappeared. Had to buy it back from the fence. We bartered. I think I got a pretty good deal. Only cost me a Quertlan diamond, a Drelubian hunting knife and a bag of jelly babies. Mind you, I really wanted to keep those jelly babies."

"I don't blame you. The things are addictive. Took you leaving to get off them."

The Gallifreyan blinked, considering Pelz's words. "I'm going to have to inform Bassett's that they need to put a warning on their packages concerning the addictive quality of their product."

"Good idea." Pelz put out his hand. "May I see it?"

The Gallifreyan slowly removed the necklace. "Careful. It's an antique."

Taking it from the Doctor, the local man looked at it closely. "So who did you buy this back from?"

"Unsavory fellow who apparently specialized in black market jewelry," he answered. "Questioned him already. Said the person who sold it to him was slightly shorter than me, scrawny, dressed cleanly, and had a scar over his right eye. Light brown hair, sea green eyes."

"The seller must be Toln Sannan. The person who sold it... sounds sort of familiar but I'm not certain. I'll put out feelers about him as well. There are a few people that might recognize the description." He thought for a moment. "Toln buys hot merchandise all right. He buys far below what something's worth and then jacks up the price for resale. Those jelly babies shouldn't have been necessary. Most people know that Toln is slick so they avoid him. Those that don't are either new at the game or want people to think they're new at the game."

"Well... this necklace is worth a lot more to me than what I gave him."

"No doubt. But buying on emotion is always more expensive than not. He cleaned you."

The Doctor shrugged with concession but said nothing.

Pelz lightly smiled at the Doctor's lack of response before questioning, "You know that getting information might cost something, right?"

The Time Lord dug into his pocket and pulled out his credit card, tossing it to him. "That still has a few thousand _krekkers _on it. Keep it. Just don't spend it all in one place." He extended his hand expectantly. "Necklace," he told him, showing that he wasn't willing to part with it.

The red-head caught the card. "Thanks. I've told my sources that I've got a client with a taste for the young ones. Each wanted money up front, but I managed to put them off. First one with some news we can use, I'll have to reward." He handed the necklace back. "I wasn't going to keep it, you know."

The Doctor gave him a smile. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time you found something you intended to return in your coat pocket." He slipped the necklace back on, tucking it under his dress shirt as he thought about his words. There was a look of reluctant resolution on his face. "So... do you often have clients interested in such... assistants?"

The other man looked at the Doctor as if he'd slapped him. "I'm hurt. I can't help it if occasionally my memory lapses. As to finding... assistants... well, that's not my style. I've helped a few families find their daughters in the past using a similar story, though." His eyes looked haunted and far away. "A few times, we've been too late."

Seeing the expression on his face, the Gallifreyan swallowed tightly. "I'm sure that you will do your best to find her before..."

The Meridicon looked towards the Doctor, his eyes showing an intensity of purpose. "We will find her. I promise you, I'll do everything I can to help you, Smytty. I hate what these people do."

"I know," the Gallifreyan told him, running a hand through his hair.

"Listen. I know you're worried but the best thing you can do for this girl is get some rest. You'll be useless if you don't get some shuteye. I'll pop round tomorrow morning after I put out the word on the jewelry seller."

The Doctor gave a hint of a nod. "Thank you," he told him, genuine gratitude in his eyes. "No matter what happens."

Pelz shot the Doctor a look that told him he appreciated the sentiment. "See you tomorrow then." He headed to the door. "Remember, sleep."

The Doctor didn't answer as his friend walked out the door. "Right. Sleep," he murmured to himself. "Who has time to sleep?" He pulled Glad's toy duck from his pocket, seeking the comfort that the toy gave him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Glad moaned slightly as she edged towards wakefulness and shivered from cold, thinking that she should probably put a couple of logs in the fireplace so that the house would be warmer when her father woke. The cold wasn't good for him, she knew. He would be cold all day if she didn't warm the house up. Sitting up slowly, she rubbed her face and blinked away the sleep in her eyes. Looking around, though, she instantly remembered where and when she was. She was certainly not back in her father's house, nor was she in her bed aboard the TARDIS, though she would prefer either of those at the moment. She would even prefer waking up against a cold stone wall as she had done before the Doctor had found her and took her away from Camelot to what she had been promised would be a much better life. Although she knew the Doctor had nothing to do with her current circumstance, at the moment she was as far from a better life than she had ever been.

As it were, though, she gazed at the metal bars surrounding her and at the barren mattress below her. She didn't remember falling asleep, though it would have been difficult not to given that she had been left in complete darkness. The mattress had been relatively clean although the smell had keep her awake for a long time before she'd dropped off from exhaustion. Now she found slivers of daylight peeking through covered windows, showing the large kennel she had seen the night before.

The door opened and Kelb came in. He was holding a tray on which was a bowl containing a grain mush and a cup of green liquid. "You hungry?"

Glad didn't answer, giving him a glare.

Kelb felt the girl's anger pouring through her eyes. His voice hardened. "I asked if you're hungry, _prat_! You better answer me or I can make it even more uncomfortable for you." His entire demeanor spoke of some dire punishment awaiting her.

"I'm not hungry, especially for anything _you _have for me," she finally told him bluntly.

"Fine," Kelb said. He went over to the table. "More for me."

The girl exhaled slowly, standing to go to the bars. Gripping them in her hands, she leaned her forehead against them. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" Kelb asked, digging his spoon into the mush. "I'm eating. I assume you know what eating is. I mean, you're not some sort of stupid_ flarg_, right?

She didn't know what a_ flarg_ was but it really wasn't relevant to the situation. "I mean abducting me, locking me in this cage..."

"Oh, that. Mlark said I shouldn't talk to you about that."

"Why not? What harm would it do?"

Kelb shrugged. "I don't know. He just said I shouldn't, okay?"

Glad stood erect abruptly. "No, it's not okay. I've been kidnapped, thrown into a cage, threatened, and told that I'm going to be sold! And I don't even really know where I am! So, no, it's not okay at all! Why me? Why kidnap me? Why are you doing this to me?"

"Let's just say your friend made life very difficult for us the last time..."

"Shut up, Kelb. I told you not to talk to her," Mlark stated as he walked into the room.

"I didn't say anything. I just told her..."

"I heard what you said."

Glad, seeing the older brother enter, stepped quickly from the bars, instantly afraid. "What did the Doctor ever do to you? He's a good man. He'd never do anyone harm."

Mlark turned to her. "Yeah? Well, we didn't find him to be so good for us."

"Well, then you probably deserved it," she told him, gaining some confidence with the thought of the Doctor.

"That's a matter of opinion. Point is, he hurt us. We're going to hurt him." He smiled cruelly. "We'll get rich and Doctor Smyt..."

"Smyt's a doctor?" Kelb interrupted, talking around a mouthful of mush.

"Apparently. He's the doctor she keeps harping about. Anyway, he's going to find out you don't mess with us."

"That's a matter of opinion," she pushed back in his face. "If you think he's just going to let you get away with... whatever it is you are doing, you don't know him very well."

"You know, I don't think I want to hear your voice anymore. Shut your trap," Mlark said, dismissing her.

"Why should I? You don't scare me! You're just a couple of bullies!" she told him. "You're both cowards, grabbing young ladies and throwing them into cages just to get back at someone who is so much better than either of you!"

Mlark moved closer to the cage rather quickly, hitting the bars and making them rattle. "I really want to get top_ krekker _for you, but if I have to come in there and tie you up and gag you, I'll do it. You want that?"

She folded her arms defiantly. "And when the Doctor finds me... and he will find me... do you really want him to find me tied up and gagged? I've seen him angry, mind you, and I wouldn't want to be in his way when he comes after you two."

"We won't be around when he finds you. Rather, we'll be long gone." Mlark laughed. "I doubt he'll want what he finds."

Glad huffed at his words but didn't say anything.

Kelb looked at his brother, seeming hesitant to speak up. "So... um... when do we put her up for sale?" It was clear that her words about the Doctor's possible fury were making him a little nervous.

"We need to send him the ransom note first. Send him a cube picture of her to show we have her."

"What do we ask for her?" Kelb questioned, looking for the cube to take her picture with.

"I'm thinking fifty million _krekkers_."

The younger brother went up to the bars and scanned a picture of her. "Want me to write it up, then?"

"Yeah. Make sure you use the autowriter through. Don't need your handwriting traced."

"Got it," Kelb replied, hurrying to write up the ransom note.

"Why don't you just let me go?" Glad put in.

"Not going to happen, girly. We'll get our revenge," Mlark told her.

"Revenge for what? What exactly did the Doctor do? And why kidnap me?"

Mlark shook his head. If he told her too much, when the Doctor found her he might be able to trace them. The fact that the Doctor had destroyed their weapons running business, mostly in small scale mass destruction arms, had brought them to this point. The five hard cycles he and Kelb had served in prison had set Mlark's mind on revenge and, up until the blue box had arrived earlier that day, he'd thought getting back at the do-gooder was just a pipe dream. "Because, we hurt him the worst if we hurt you."

She frowned in confusion. She wasn't a dull-minded person, in her opinion, but she couldn't quite see what he was getting at, especially since she knew, in her heart, that the Doctor would rescue her in plenty of time. "What do you mean by that?"

"Smyt cares about the people he's with. We're not sure how he changed his appearance but that blue box of his shows exactly who he is. So, we kidnap you and sell you. When he finds you, you'll be damaged goods and he won't be able to do anything about it."

"'Damaged goods'? No way. I won't do that," she stated with certainty.

Kelb walked back in as Mlark was describing how he was going to hurt the Doctor. He nodded at his brother's words. "Oh. You'll do whatever you're told and I suggest you cooperate. Some of them men aren't the gentlest with young girls. I heard one story of a man who tied one down and..." The description of the act was graphic and spoke of pure depravity.

Hearing his very vulgar story, Glad covered her mouth and backed away as far as she could before sliding down to the floor. Tears escaped silently as she stared up at the two who had taken her. "You're monsters... both of you."

Mlark looked at his brother. "It all depends on your perspective."

"There is no different perspective between right and wrong," she said emphatically, though her voice shook with fear. "You're just evil!"

"Well, again, we'll have our revenge. By the time the Doctor finds you, you'll be doing that and worse. I doubt even your precious Doctor will have much use for you after that." Turning to Kelb he said, "You got the picture and the letter finished?"

Kelb nodded. "Yeah. How do you want to deliver it?"

"We'll send it via courier. I have some sources that can't be traced."

"Okay. Then let's go. The sooner we get the _krekkers_ and get rid of the girl, the better for me."

"For both of us, Kelb. I don't want this _prat_ around anymore than we need to."

The two men left the room once more after Kelb left the cup of green liquid for her. "I'd drink that if I were you. Otherwise you won't get any more until we get back." With that they were gone.

The last few minutes had taken away any appetite that Glad might have had when she had woken earlier. All she could think of was what the brothers had told her would happen. While her confidence in the Doctor finding her hadn't fallen, it had been shaken with the possibility that he wouldn't. The cup sitting just inside the bars seemed to taunt her with that possibility as she stared at it, sniffling away the tears that she had shed.

DWQLTWDWQLTW

The Doctor didn't know how it had happened. One minute he was watching Pelz stepping out of the TARDIS. The next minute, he was abruptly sitting up, hearing a knock at the door. It took several long seconds for him to realize that he had actually fallen asleep. The knocking resumed again and he groaned as he felt the TARDIS nudging him to open the door. "Coming," he muttered, running his right hand through his hair and causing it to stand on end. He noticed the duck sitting loosely in his left hand and placed it on the console before going to the exit. He opened the door a crack and looked outside to see who had woken him.

A young girl of about twenty in a courier's uniform was looking rather concerned at the TARDIS. When the door opened, she jumped back. "_Dalow_! I really thought this was a trick. You really live in that small space?"

The Doctor just rubbed his face, now understanding why the TARDIS hadn't just let him call out. "What is it?" he asked bluntly but not unkindly.

She pulled up a box. "Are you Dr. Joniah Smyt?"

"Who?" he asked for a moment before realizing that she was using the alias he preferred in the Seven Cities. "Yeah yeah yeah." He looked her over for a moment. "You're a courier. What are you doing knocking on a blue wooden box?"

"I was told to deliver this package to the blue box on Bliten Street next to the park."

The Time Lord looked at the package with a slight frown. The only person he could think of who even knew he was there was Pelz. And Pelz assured him that he would tell him personally if he learned anything about Glad. Still, he might not have had the time to come himself and instead sent a courier with some news.

"All right. Where do I sign?" he finally replied. Taking the data pad and the stylo from the girl, he scribbled the name Joniah Smyt on the pad and returned it before accepting the box. Watching for a long moment as the girl left, he stepped back into the TARDIS, carefully placing the package on the console before staring at it with a frown. "Why would he send a box?" he questioned aloud. He pulled on his ear for a moment before shaking his head.

Just looking at the box reminded him of the medicine that he had procured for Sam. Whatever the box was, it would have to wait for a little bit as his responsibilities to his other passenger came quickly to the forefront of his mind. Walking to Rose's room and going in, he noted that Sam's temperature had dropped significantly, assuring the Doctor that the man would have a full recovery with a lot of rest over the next two weeks. After having Sam take another dose, he returned to the console room. Right as he was going back to the box to open it, a knock sounded from the door. This time, though, he didn't move as the TARDIS was telling him that a familiar presence was on the other side. "The door's unlocked, Pelz," he called out, picking up the package.

The man sauntered in. "What'cha got there?"

"You didn't send it?" the Doctor questioned. "Came by courier earlier."

Pelz shook his head. "Not me. What do you think it is?"

"Well, I was about to open it and find out what you had sent. But since you didn't send it..." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. Adjusting the setting quickly, he scanned the box briefly. "At least we know that it's completely harmless. No signs of any booby traps or incendiary devices."

"Is that blue thing like that other thing you used to use?" He looked at it, interest on his face.

"Bit of an upgrade from the one you saw before," the Time Lord replied quickly. "As for the box..." He sniffed the package briefly before tilting his head slightly. "I guess... we're about to find out." Holding it out slight away from both of them, just in case something less explosive and more humorous popped out at them, he carefully lifted the lid. Seeing that nothing had happened, he brought it back towards him and looked inside. He saw a folded piece of paper and a small crystalline cube. The Gallifreyan frowned slightly, picking up the cube and tossing the box over to Pelz without looking. "A photo cube," he surmised. He looked over the crystalline structure for a moment, finding the activation panel as Pelz pulled out the paper from the box.

Pelz scanned the sheet. "You're not going to like this."

"I already don't," the Doctor said softly, seeing the holographic image of Glad appear inside the cube.

Pelz went over and looked. "That the girl?"

The Gallifreyan nodded slowly. "Galadriel Thatcher." Without pulling his eyes from the image, he questioned, "What does it read?"

"They want fifty million _krekkers_ for her return."

The Time Lord's face grew dark. "It's always about money," he said, the last word coming from his lips as if it were the most disgusting thing ever. "Read it to me."

"'Dr. Smyt... if you want to see your girl alive again, we want fifty million _krekkers_ put in the number 10 buoy located at the west pier on the river at midnight tomorrow. We'll be watching and if you try to cross us, the girl's going die so don't screw this up.' There's a post script. It says, 'Don't call the authorities if you know what's good for you.'"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Call the police in a city that turns a blind eye on slavery? Please! The bumbling idiots would probably get Glad killed."

Pelz raised his eyebrow at the Doctor's tirade but didn't say anything.

Silence filled the TARDIS while the Doctor watched the holographic image. "Fifty million _krekkers_?" He seemed greatly disturbed by the demand. "What makes them think I have that much money? I don't have any money. What would I need with money?" He shrugged in frustration. "I had a bit of a credit line here. Pretty much used it up. I gave you the only credit I had earlier."

"Don't look at me," Pelz said. "No way I could get fifty million _krekkers_. You saw where I'm living. You think I'd be there if I had access to that kind of money?" He looked around the room. "Think there might be something here you could pawn... like the diamond earlier?"

The Time Lord shook his head. "Books... clothes... the occasional piece of equipment that shouldn't get in anyone's hands..." His eyes widened slightly. "Aw! I'm thick!" he exclaimed, running both hands through his hair. "Look at me! I'm so very thick!" Like a burst of lightning, he was suddenly moving, putting the photo cube on the console. "Fifty million _krekkers_? I could probably come up with the equivalent quite easily! If I can just find it."

"Really?" asked the local man. "How easily are you talking about?"

"Well, I know it's here in the TARDIS. Question is... where did I leave it two hundred years ago?" He started for the inner door, a ponderous look on his face.

Pelz watched the Doctor leave the room. "I'll just stay here," he called after him. Moving over to the center of the room he looked at the rather strange contraction there. "Wonder what this does?" he said, reaching his hand out to touch a screen.

"Hands off!" the Doctor called out from down the hallway.

Pulling his hand back suddenly, the Meridicon looked up. "What?" He then noticed the rubber duck sitting on the console. "Oh, now this is just... bizarre." He picked up the strangely happy plastic toy as there was no warning from his friend not to, examining it.

A couple of minutes later, the Doctor returned with five red velvet bags in his hands. He froze as he noticed that Pelz was holding the rubber duck. "If you want one, I've got a crate full of them. But hands off Squee."

"Squee?"

"It's hers. That's her name for the toy."

Pelz didn't need to hear anymore. He reverently placed the duck where he'd found it. "Sorry, I didn't realize."

The Doctor gave a thankful smile the moment the toy was safely on the console. "Now..." He raised the bags that were in his hands. "Haven't seen these since I let Chang Lee keep two of them shortly after my seventh regeneration... about five years before I met you." He tossed them to Pelz one at a time. "How much do you think that is worth in _krekkers_?"

"This is pure gold?"

"Yeah," he replied as if it weren't anything of real interest as he walked to the console and made sure that Pelz hadn't inadvertently sent them into the Time Vortex while he was away.

Pelz weighed one of the bags in his hand. "Well, I'm no metallurgist, but I'd say one of these is worth at least ten million _krekkers_."

"I'm assuming you know someone who can make a reasonable trade for it, then."

"I know where to turn this into _krekkers_, yeah." he said holding up one of the bags.

"Good," the Time Lord stated, sitting in the Captain's chair. "Have any idea who these kidnappers might be?" Having a thought, he gestured for the note. "Let me see that."

Pelz handed him the paper as he shook his head. "Not yet." He tilted his head. "Maybe they're not going to sell her after all."

The Doctor examined the note as he answered. "There is a general rule, I found, when it comes to kidnappings, regardless of the time period or the galactic coordinates."

"What's that?"

"If the kidnappers can get more money, they'll do whatever it takes to get it."

"You think they're going to double-cross you?"

"More than likely, I think. As for this note..." he started, sitting up with an intense look of concentration on his face. "Written with an autowriter and an old one at that. You can see how the image isn't very sharp. As for the author, I'd say he's a bit thick in the head..." He brought the paper to his nose and sniffed. "Spends a lot of time in a kennel and wears way too much aftershave."

"You're a real detective then."

"Well, studied under Dr. Joseph Bell. Arthur Conan Doyle was one of my classmates. Nice lad, ol' Art. Bit odd in the head but, boy, he could weave a tale!" Seeing the confused expression on his features, the Doctor looked a bit affronted by the lack of connection. "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? Victorian author? Wrote the Sherlock Holmes mysteries?"

Pelz shook his head. "Never heard of him."

"He wrote mystery novels before Agatha Christie was even heard of," the Time Lord told him, knowing that he at least heard of her. After all, she is the bestselling novelist of all time... literally.

"Oh, I like her books," the Meridicon stated before commenting, "I guess all the time you've spent around the universe you've learned just about everything. I wish I could be so confident about things."

"I don't know about that," the Time Lord murmured. He brushed off what he believed to be a simple compliment. "Anyway... we're looking for a scrawny male with sea green eyes and a scar over his left eye who isn't too bright, works or lives around a kennel, probably in a less than wealthy area of the city, and wears too much aftershave."

"Well, I'll start snooping around and see if I can find out who they are. In the meantime, you want me to get the fifty million _krekkers_?"

"Please. Keep the difference," he told him.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Why would you think I'm kidding?"

"We're talking a lot of _krekkers_."

"I travel through time and space in a blue police box and haven't had use of that gold dust for hundreds years. Why would I need it for anything else now?"

"You've got a point," the Meridicon said before leaving.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Throughout the next day, the Doctor continued to check on Sam, making sure he received the medicine at the proper intervals and that the ill man was well-hydrated, even if he didn't seem to have any sort of appetite. By mid-afternoon, Sam was wide awake and well enough to be briefed on what was going on with Glad. The leaper immediately wanted to help find her.

"You can't," the Doctor told him.

"Why not? She's my friend too," Sam said stubbornly, attempting to get out of the bed.

The Gallifreyan pushed him back against the pillows. "And I truly appreciate that you want to help. But you are far too ill to leave this room. The last thing we need is for you to become worse and possibly even cause an epidemic."

"Yeah," Sam agreed grudgingly. "I suppose I do need to be responsible. But Glad..." he started, his concern evident in his voice.

"I'll find her. I have a good friend helping me. Knows this city like the back of his hand. If there's anyone on this planet who can find her, it's him."

Sam considered this news. "Good. Is there anything I _can_ do?"

"Yes. Get better," the Time Lord ordered. "That means you need to take your medicine regularly and tend to your own needs. The instructions on how to make the proper dosage is on the container. I'm sure the TARDIS will help you out as best as she can with everything else although she'll still need to keep any place you move quarantined."

"Okay. I certainly feel better than I did. Still weak and I seem to tire easily so you're probably right that I wouldn't be much help even if I wasn't contagious. I should be able to take care of things now, though."

"Glad to see that we finally agree on something," the Doctor commented with a sly grin. "Just don't try to overwork yourself and you'll be fine. I don't know how long I'll be gone but, when I return, I will have Glad with me."

"I'll certainly pray that happens sooner than later. Don't worry about me. You'll have enough on your hands getting Glad back safe," Sam responded. A yawn captured his face. "Damn, I'm getting really tired of sleeping all the time."

"Why don't you sleep on that thought?" the Gallifreyan teased, patting his shoulder before heading for the door.

"Right. I'm on it," the leaper responded cuddling back down into his covers.

A few hours later, Pelz returned to the TARDIS, having turned the gold dust into sixty million _krekkers_. Knocking and receiving permission to enter, he held up the case with the money. "I've got it."

"Good. What time is it?"

"We've got six hours until the drop."

"Six hours," the Doctor repeated, as if the words had a deep meaning. He grimaced slightly. "I've never been very good with waiting." Taking a deep breath, he shrugged slightly. "Oh, well. Gives us plenty of time for plan 'R'."

"Plan R?"

"Yup," the Time Lord told him, taking the _krekkers _from him. "'R' for radioactivity. Harmless radioactivity, that is. But still very traceable."

"You're going to mark the _krekkers_?"

"Yup. Can't trust them to just turn Glad over the minute they get their money. More than likely, they'll take their ill-gotten gains back to their little hideout and let me stew for a couple of days. And as I said... I've never been good at waiting." He wiggled a stack of krekkers at Pelz. "Shall we?" he suggested before walking through the inner door.

Pelz nodded and followed the Doctor deeper into the space that was bigger on the inside.

It took a couple of hours to ensure that every _krekker_ was irradiated with the traceable radiation, which the Doctor confirmed would harm not even the smallest of creatures. Then there was the waiting over a cup of tea and with occasional pauses to check on Sam's condition. Finally, the time came to leave the TARDIS to make the drop.

The walk to the pier was a long one, as the river was on the far side of warehouse district. Buoy number 10 sat on the pier, just waiting for the deposit of the ransom money. Looking around for a moment, the Doctor walked up to the buoy, which was far too visible for his tastes, and, opening the small hatch on its side, stuffed the money into it. Closing it securely, he slowly walked away, his hands in his pockets as if he had only come down to the pier for a pleasant walk.

Mlark and Kelb watched from a distance, Glad tied up and gagged in the backseat of their vehicle.

Mlark smiled wickedly. "Wonderful. Nice to know he can follow orders."

"So what do we do now?" asked Kelb.

"You go get the _krekkers _and go back to the kennel. Be sure that all the cash is there. I'll meet you at the kennel soon."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to get us that added bonus. I made the deal earlier today. Little miss _prat _is going to learn how to make men happy instead of miserable."

Kelb chuckled slightly at his words. "Right. Then, I'll see you back at the kennel." He looked in the direction the Doctor had gone before stepping out of the darkness and walking to the buoy. He heard the engine of the transport start and knew that Mlark was already on his way. Reaching into the buoy, he pulled out the _krekkers_. Smiling at the sight of the money, he laughed softly before hurrying into the darkness once again.

DWQLTWDWQLTW

Mlark continued driving to his rendezvous. As he did he spoke to Glad. "I've decided that since you've been such a pain, we'll take a small loss and sell you to Blantz Mikon. He's a little rough but he's got quite a clientele. I owe him, so you'll be my peace offering."

Tied up and gagged, the only thing that Glad could do was let the tears on her face do the talking for her. Mlark noticed in the rear mirror her tears and smiled. Smyt would really be hurt by this.

Before long they'd reached a house on the outskirts of town. It was rather large. Mlark exited the car and went around to the rear door, opening it. "Here's your new home. Like it?" He then pulled her out, threw her over his shoulder and moved up the walkway to the entrance.

Reaching the door, a nice looking woman met him. "Can I help you?" she asked silkily.

"I'm looking for Blantz. Have a delivery for him."

She allowed him to enter and showed him to a room on the first floor. Checking with the occupant of an adjoining office, she received instructions to let them in.

Blantz Mikon turned towards the door of his study as it opened, watching as Mlark Flarng entered the room with a girl draped over his shoulder. He smiled with slight amusement at Mlark's inability to keep the girl from struggling in his arms. "Is that the package you told me about?"

"Yeah. She's a handful, but I know, with your techniques, you'll have her docile in record time."

"Put her down. Let me look at her." Seeing Mlark literally drop the girl at his feet, he crouched down to take a look. "She's a cute little pretty, isn't she," he commented.

"Yeah. Has that elfish look, don't you think?"

He nodded slightly, still regarding her. "So, what's your name, pretty?" he asked, removing the gag.

"Let me go! I'm telling you right now! _Let me go!_ The Doctor's going to stop you! Both of you! You don't want to mess with him!" Glad started screaming the moment the gag was removed.

Mlark took the gag and shoved it back into her mouth. "As I say, she's difficult."

"Well, she'll either stop being difficult or..." Blantz put his face into hers, an evil grin stretching across his lips, "...there are ways we can convince her without hurting her value." Seeing the fright on her face, he grinned, standing up. "Who's this doctor she's talking about? Is she sick? My customers don't want to catch anything."

"Nah, she's talking about this feller what calls himself 'the Doctor.' Dr. Joniah Smyt, to be precise. Some sort of scientist. But he's no bother."

Blantz listened and finally nodded. "Now, then, what did we agree to for this little gem?"

"You were going to give us one million _krekkers_. I'm giving you a good deal here, Blantz."

Mikon seemed to consider his words for a moment. "Very well." He raised his head and his voice. "Alicia!"

A moment later, a pretty young woman came into the room, her head lowered. "Yes, sir?"

"Get Frab Maljek to take this little whore and bring me my lockbox," he ordered.

The girl bowed and quickly ran from the room to obey.

Mlark sat down to wait for the _krekkers_. "It'll be good to know she's in such capable hands. I might even come visit when she's broken in."

Glad glared at him viciously, kicking out at him in retaliation.

"Ow!" complained Mlark. He reached out and grabbed her hair. "Don't you do that again, you _barcha_!"

Blantz immediately grabbed her by the arm, hauling her up. "I think lesson number one starts right now, pretty. And that is... don't ever treat one of my guests that way." Without further word, he grabbed her hair before striking her hard across the cheek, causing her to cry out in pain. He then threw her to the floor and stepped on her back, holding her in place as the door opened again.

"Mr. Maljek, sir," Alicia announced, holding out a large metallic box towards Blantz, her eyes never reaching his.

"Maljek, start on this _thing _immediately," Blantz ordered, kicking Glad for good measure before going to Alicia and taking the box from her. Pulling out exactly one million _krekkers_, he placed the money on his desk before returning the box to Alicia, who immediately bowed and left the study with it in hand.

Mlark's lips curled as he watched Glad receiving her first training. After everyone else had left, he addressed Blantz. "That's why you're the best. You don't take nothing from them."

"Show them an inch, they'll want a foot," the slave-owner told him. He extended the bundle of cash towards Mlark. "One million _krekkers_, as agreed."

"Lovely doing business with you," Mlark said, grinning. "I take it this makes us even?"

Blantz looked towards the closed door where his newest acquisition had been dragged out, thinking about how much money she would be worth to him once she was properly trained. "Yeah. We're even." His face grew serious. "Now, leave the premises. I am a very busy man, you understand."

Mlark nodded. "Sure. See you around." With that he left the room and went to his car, smiling as he savored the revenge he and Kelb had visited on Smyt.

DWQLTWDWQLTW

The Doctor leaned back against the wall on the far side of the pier, watching with a frown as Kelb collected the _krekkers _stowed in the buoy. There was little to no lighting between the alley where he and Pelz waited and the pier, but the Doctor, with his Time Lord eyes, had no problem seeing the dark figure pull out the bag and run off.

Pelz started to move forward but the Doctor's hand held him back. "Don't you want to track him?" the local PI asked, confused.

"Wait a few minutes. I irradiated that money for a reason. Don't want him to turn around and see us."

"Ah, right," Pelz said. "So how do we track him?"

The Doctor grinned slightly, pulling out his sonic screwdriver. "Easy breezy with my handy dandy sonic screwdriver."

"That thing again? You think you can get me one?"

"It's a specialty item. One of a kind," the Time Lord told him. "You wouldn't believe how many upgrades I've made to it over the centuries." Taking a deep breath, he stood up straight. "Pub."

"Pub?" Pelz looked down the street at the direction the kidnapper had gone. "You want a beer at a time like this?"

"Pub. You're buying."

"Sure, but..."

The Gallifreyan started out of the alleyway, stopping when his friend didn't follow immediately. "But what? I'm thirsty."

Pelz let go a breath and then headed after Smytty. If he lived another hundred years, he wondered if he'd ever figure him out.

Walking into the pub two blocks from where they had been, the Time Lord immediately went to a table out sight and ordered a lime soda. Pulling out the sonic screwdriver once again, he started to fiddle with it as Pelz joined him.

"So, how long do you want to wait?"

"One drink," he answered. He looked at the younger man with a raised eyebrow. "Bit impatient?"

"I just want to get to the bastards and, if you're right about them, I don't want them getting too far of a head start."

"They won't. It will take a drink to get the sonic screwdriver to find the radiation signature of the_ krekkers_. Besides, if they were planning on doing something to Glad, they've already had plenty of time to do it. But they had better not have done anything," he finished darkly. He turned on the small device as his drink was delivered, holding it with his right hand as he reached for his beverage with his left.

Agreeing, the redhead put in his order for his usual and waited for it to arrive.

The Doctor looked at him with a slight frown. "Are you just being modest or do you actually like that stuff?"

"Well, never know how long the money will last. Better to not get used to drinking the good stuff. It would be hard to go back. Besides, it's not that bad once you get used to it."

"Well, up to you. But if you use that money wisely, you should be pretty much set for the rest of your life."

Pelz gave him a half grin. "I usually run into people that need things more than me."

The Doctor gave him a knowing grin. "Yeah. Me too."

The drinks were almost finished when the sonic screwdriver's constant buzzing changed pitch. "That's our cue!" the Doctor exclaimed, downing the last drops of his soda before quickly standing and hurrying for the door, leaving Pelz rushing to follow. The Time Lord stopped abruptly in the middle of the road, aiming the screwdriver one direction and then the other before starting down the road at a rapid walk.

The Meridicon followed along, impressed at the directional tool. "This will take us right to them, eh?"

"Huh?" the Gallifreyan murmured, his concentration on the screwdriver and the readings it was picking up.

"The blue thing... the screwdriver. It'll take us right to them."

"That's the plan."

"That's incredible."

"What is?"

"The fact that you can use that device of yours to do so much." Awe was again seeping through his words.

"Centuries of modifications." It was said as if it were the answer to everything in the universe.

The two continued in silence for at least a half an hour before the Doctor stopped, looking at the screwdriver with a frown. "Here. Somewhere around here." Slowly turning, he hesitated for a moment before turning off the screwdriver and tucking it in his jacket. He sniffed the air and then grimaced. "Yup. Definitely around here. There. That warehouse," he said with a nod. He started towards the building with determination. He slammed the door open, the sound of metal hitting metal reverberating through the building, causing its lone occupant to jump up. The table before him tilted over with his abrupt actions, scattering _krekkers _to the floor. The Time Lord stormed across the empty room, stopping only after he had grabbed Kelb by his shirt and forced him into the nearest metallic support beam. "Where is my friend?" the Oncoming Storm demanded, his eyes burrowing into Kelb's.

"Smyt! H... H... H... How did you find me?" Kelb stuttered.

"I am the Doctor," he corrected. "And you have just messed with the wrong Time Lord. Now... where is my friend? _Where is she?_" he bellowed when he didn't get an immediate answer, his voice echoing in the vast room.

"Time Lord? No such thing. They're extinct," he claimed with dismissive derision.

"There's one left," the Doctor growled, fury growing in his eyes.

Pelz had moved into the doorway, keeping an eye out for any other arrivals. He'd heard the initial verbal jousting but this bit of information was shocking. He had heard the stories of the Time War and had believed the species had been completely destroyed. When his friend had shown up the day before, he had been glad that hadn't happened although he understood the Doctor had lost many of his race in the conflict. To hear now, though, that he was the last of his kind cut him to the core. His empathy for the man's loss had been great before but now it consumed him. At the same time, he was sure the reason this man had survived was because of his tenacity, cunning, and ability to turn whatever situation he was in to his purpose.

"You haven't answered my question. Where is my friend?" the Time Lord demanded again. He paused a moment, studying his prey. "I know you. You're the one who was selling weapons to every city during the Great Civil War. And now you've turned to... what? Kidnapping and extortion?" He pressed Kelb hard into the support. "I'm only going to ask one more time. Where is Galadriel?"

Kelb eyes spat hatred at the man. "If you're the Doctor like you say you are, why don't you know? Time Lords are supposed to know everything, aren't they?"

Enraged by the man's arrogant distain, the Doctor cried out as he raised a fist, ready to strike the man when he was abruptly and forcefully stopped by Pelz who grabbed the Gallifreyan's fist in mid flight towards the kidnappers face. He attempted to attack Kelb with his free hand, finding the action once again halted by his friend, who forced him back and blocked the Doctor's every effort to inflict harm on his would-be victim. "Get the hell off me, Pelz!"

"No. This isn't your way."

"I don't care!" the Time Lord retaliated. "I'll rip the bastard's head off if I have to but he's going to tell me where Glad is!"

"You will care afterwards. You always do," Pelz responded. "There's another way."

"Not for his kind, there isn't," came the growled response, fury blazing in the Doctor's eyes.

Kelb at first was frozen in space but as he watched the two men struggle he saw it was a chance to escape. As he started to move away, he was suddenly block by the Meridicon detective who'd pushed the Doctor back first. Pelz then proceeded to take up where the interrogation had been left, pushing the kidnapper up again the wall by the door. "Oh, his kind's going to sing like a _zinter _when I'm through with him." He looked Kelb in the eyes. "Aren't you? This is your last chance to speak," he hissed at the man. "You really don't want me to use the techniques I learned from Colonel Lipisat."

"You knew that war criminal?" Kelp answered, his face showing true alarm for the first time.

Pelz just gave the man an evil grin, allowing the man's mind to continue its spiral into a pit of fear.

The Gallifreyan watched still breathing heavily with the anger that still flowed through him. Still he held back to allow his friend to obtain the information. He knew if this didn't work, though, that he'd make good on his threat.

The kidnapper looked between Pelz and the Gallifreyan, nervous not only about what he may endure if he didn't answer but also what the Time Lord's reaction would be if he learned the truth. He decided that he'd rather be beaten to a pulp by an angry alien than endure being dragged, quartered, beaten, and generally skewered until he talked.

"Okay! Okay! My brother sold her, all right?"

"You sold her?!" the Doctor shouted in anger. He rushed towards Kelb, only being prevented by a firm glare from Pelz.

"Answer him," the detective snarled at the man, pulling the man's arm into a borderline unnatural position. "Lipisat always started with breaking the arms...I'm a bit out of practice so..."

"The little trollup was our bonus!" Kelb exclaimed, pain clear on his face. "Don't know who he sold her to!"

"Galadriel is not a trollup or a bonus!" the Gallifreyan roared.

"Oh, that wasn't a nice thing to say now, was it?" Pelz pushed the arm further, causing the man to whimper. "No more of that talk. What do you know?"

"Let me go! Please, I swear I don't know anything! Just a few names but I couldn't tell you who got her in the end."

"I'll let you go when I get the names."

"Ranton Leruw... and... and Herlk Wajer. That's all I know." Pelz pushed even harder and gave him a look that said he didn't believe him. "All right! Blantz Mikon... and... and Grifs Krisjop. He probably sold her to one of them." With another push on his arm, he bellowed, "I swear that's all I know!" Tears were streaming from his eyes. "I've told you what you want. Please don't kill me."

Pelz glared at the man in his grip before turning his head towards the Gallifreyan. "What do you think?"

There was a long pause as the Time Lord glowered upon the kidnapper. "Let him go. If he's lying, he isn't going to tell the truth now. And if he isn't, we can come back and kill him later."

"I'm telling the truth! Swear on my grandmother's soul!"

"Is this the same grandmother who owned this necklace?" the Doctor retaliated, pulling out the pendant that was hanging under his dress shirt around his neck.

"Where'd you get tha..." Kelb started to ask, stopping when Pelz glared at him.

"So what now?" the detective asked, not releasing his hold on the man.

"Lock him in one of those kennels and we'll call the police later."

Pelz nodded before doing as instructed. He knew the Doctor was right about not going to the police right away. Since they couldn't know who would be sent out to answer the call, they didn't want to leave information that would allow any officer on the take to tip off the human trafficker that held Glad. Knowing that the chances of finding Glad safe diminished over time, he knew that he and the Doctor would have to figure out a way to increase their odds. He suggested that, instead of going from one place to another in search of the girl, perhaps the bars might be the best place to start learning where the names Kelb gave them would lead. He'd found that greasing the hands of the bartenders tended to bring about results.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

As Pelz led the Doctor to the section of town where he'd put out the initial information, he explained that they'd need to see if any of his sources had heard anything.

"So... you knew Colonel Lipisat?" the Time Lord questioned as they walked, distain in his voice.

"What?" Pelz asked and then realized the Gallifreyan would have heard the threats he'd used. "Well, I sort of bent the truth on that."

"How bent?"

"About 180 degrees give or take a degree or two."

The Time Lord laughed. "In other words, you lied your arse off."

"Well, I actually met him once. Towards the end of the war. I was on the force that moved him from the jail he'd been put in when they captured him to the prison." He gave the Gallifreyan a slight smile. "We weren't on talking terms."

"I forgot how good a liar you are. Quick tongued."

"Yeah, well..." He shrugged. "May have to do it again... but if I do, try to follow along, eh?" They had reached their destination and entered the first bar. After striking out there they checked another one without any luck before walking into the _Sard and Blax_.

Frantz was behind the long counter and smiled a toothy grin. "Pelz! I was wondering when you'd show again. I've got some good news." He looked at the other man with the detective. The man's dress indicated wealth and eccentricity, a promising combination. "This your client?" By the way he said the words it was obvious he'd be just as happy to cut the Meridicon out of the deal and sell his news directly for more money.

Pelz glanced at the Time Lord, trying to clue the Gallifreyan that it was show time. "No. Not the client I told you about but someone that might be interested in other merchandise that might be on the block if the price is right. Owns his own shop, if you know what I mean. Figured I can kill two _zinters _with one stone."

Noting that, for all intents and purposes Pelz had called him a pimp and a human trafficker, the Gallifreyan gave him a slight glare. From the assessing looks he was getting from the bartender, he realized that he needed to play the role in order to gain the proprietor's trust. He gave Frantz a winning smile which didn't reach his eyes. "Pelz tells me you have connections."

"Yeah. Good connections." He looked at the detective. "Like I said, I have some good news for you but it's gonna cost you as we agreed. You got something that'll make it worth my while to remember what was said?"

"Depends. Got a couple of beers?" In the past he'd used the act of paying for the beverages to pass the money to barkeep. He knew Frantz would read between the lines.

The barkeep pulled the drafts and put them on the counter. Pelz smiled. "Here. Keep the change."

Taking the payment, Frantz turned to the register, a smile on his face at the large _krekker _notes he now held. Returning to the detective, he informed him, "I heard one of my patrons say that they'd seen a young girl in one of the brothels. From what he could tell, she'd just come in. He said she looked fresh and he was looking forward to when she was offered. Long dark hair, pixie face, young. I think it could be the girl your client's looking for."

The Time Lord straightened noticeably and was about to speak when Pelz glared at him, a hint of incredulity in the look. The Gallifreyan halted immediately. The Meridicon turned back to Frantz. "So, where's this brothel, then? Gotta know where to send my client."

"It's in the Zarbazo part of the city."

"Zarbazo?" Pelz commented. "Isn't that about three hundred kilometers from here, in the Pretz District? Pricey area. Must be a really good brothel."

"It's one that's known for their... um... diversity and wide selection of experiences."

The Doctor tilted his head. "Well, I suppose if you are wanting to go to a brothel, you'd want one with diversity," he said, trying to hide his disgust. He swallowed before continuing to play his role. "Nice area, though. Could get some decent... merchandise there."

"Yeah, good pickings for cast-offs. Where'd you say your place is? I thought I knew of all the owners."

"Umm... well... I'm sort of from..." the Gallifreyan started.

"From Nortiwa province. He's been in business for a few years but stock's getting worn. Figures to get better replacements here." the detective supplied smoothly.

"Can't get good help these days," the Doctor added, giving Pelz another glance, knowing the double meaning would be clear to him.

Frantz let out a laugh. "I like you! My kind of man."

"Oh, I seriously doubt..." He felt a jab in his ribs from his friend. "...we'll have time to find out. Ooo! That rhymed! Love rhymes!"

"Right..." the barkeep answered, now certain that the gentleman was eccentric but in a likeable way. "Pelz, you let your other client know that I'll keep an eye out for more of his usual."

"Yeah. That'll be good. Thanks." He turned to the Time Lord. "Come on, Jon. Let's go check this out."

"Another rhyme. You know I love rhymes," the Gallifreyan commented as they left the establishment. The moment they were outside and away from prying ears, the Doctor's jovial attitude dropped. "A pimp and a slaver? You told him that I was a pimp and a slaver?"

Pelz grimaced at his friend's rebuke. "Sorry, but it fit the need. If I'd said you were the client, he would have tried negotiating with you and I seriously doubt you would have kept your temper any better than you did with Kelb. If I didn't say you were someone that was in the trade, he would have shut his mouth tighter than a _ghirm _in heat."

"That's a lovely picture you just painted," the Time Lord told him, already picturing the short hairy jackal-like animal as depicted.

"Yeah, well either way, we would have been _scitwold_. This way, if anything happens, you'll be as likely to get something out of old Frantz as I can."

The Gallifreyan shrugged his concession as they walked further away from the bar. "Zarbazo is a good day's walk from here. We're going to need transportation."

"I've got a _flitter_ back at my place. It's not much, eats up way too much fuel, but it'll get us there."

The two men made the relatively short hike back to Pelz flat. The man passed the door to his abode and walked another block to where a vehicle was parked. It was small and efficient, the kind that was fairly common amongst low income individuals. It wasn't much to look at but it ran well, easily making the speed limit of three hundred fifty kilometers an hour. As such the two of them arrived at the brothel within an hour's time. The Time Lord said not a word as he pushed the door open, stepping into the extravagantly decorated foyer. Seeing the amount of money that had obviously been spent on the brothel's adornments, his eyes darkened. A moment later, a rather attractive woman came up to him with a seductive smile, which the Doctor ignored immediately.

"I'm looking for someone. A young girl. Elfen features. Long brown hair, blue eyes," the Time Lord told her.

"Ah... I have just the girl for you. You are one with rather exotic tastes."

"Go get her. Now," he ordered, his eyes burrowing into hers.

"Anxious. Very good." The woman sauntered off.

The Gallifreyan gave Pelz a look that told of his disgust with his surroundings but didn't say a word. Instead, he waited as patiently as he could, hoping that the next sound he would hear would alleviate the pain in his hearts. A moment later, the matron's voice returned to his ears. Turning, he gazed upon the veiled young woman with the matron, his throat suddenly tight. Taking a step towards the girl, he gently lifted her veil, hope pouring from him. And then his stomach fell. The girl wasn't Glad. Disappointment was obvious on his face.

The matron looked concerned. "Not to your liking? I can find another."

He raised his eyes to the matron's. "How many more... children... do you have in this place?" he demanded.

"Children? All of our girls are of age," she claimed haughtily.

"Really?" the Doctor questioned, his tone showing his disbelief. He turned to the girl, his eyes immediately softening. "What's your name?" he asked her gently.

"Valia," she said, her eyes downcast. She looked up, pleading to him, "I will be very good to you, I promise."

If it had been a brick, the expression on the girl's face couldn't have hurt him worse. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Valia. How old are you? You can tell me the truth. I can help you but you need to tell me the absolute truth. I promise, no one will hurt you for telling me."

The girl looked towards the matron, fear in her eyes. "I... I... can't."

The matron put her arm between them, shepherding the girl away. "I'm afraid you need to leave, sir." She made it quite clear from her tone that she didn't think he deserved even that honor.

"Hey, you can't talk to my friend like that," Pelz complained.

The Time Lord put up his hand to quiet his friend. "Oh, I'm not leaving," he replied to the matron with a growl. "In fact, my friend and I are going to go through this building, room by room. And we are going to send every single one of these children back to their families where they belong. And if they don't have families, we're going to make sure that they find good people to take them in."

"Who do you think you are?" the woman answered, incensed.

He took a step towards her, his eyes blazing. "I'm the Doctor. I ended your planet's civil war. And you really don't want to upset me."

She laughed. "You expect me to believe that? The Doctor was a Time Lord. They're all dead or hadn't you heard?" Ignoring the odd expression on his face, she called on her bouncers, a couple of rather burly men that didn't seem to be too bright but had brawn to make up for it. "You'll see these 'gentlemen' out?"

The Doctor looked between the two men. "Oh, I really wish you hadn't done that," he groused, taking a step back as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "Any ideas?" he asked Pelz, who was also slowly backing away.

Pelz said under his breath, "You don't have a plan?"

"Have you ever known me to have one?" He looked around, thinking on the situation. "Umm... I think it's time for Plan A," he said, adjusting the settings on the screwdriver. "Well... more like Plan B since Plan A really didn't work out all that well."

"We had a Plan A?" the Meridicon asked, biting at his lip. He saw the Doctor's face and figured Plan A must have been to walk in and just find Glad. "Right. So, what is this Plan B?"

"Well, you see our friends here," the Doctor commented, pointing at the two bouncers moving towards them, causing them to take more steps back. "I can tell from the tattoos on their arms that they used to work in the mines on Korpa Delta. Nasty place. Takes a lot of muscle to work down there. Probably why they are doing such a fine job as bouncers here. Thing is, though, the mines are extremely loud. So loud, in fact, that the workers have known to either go completely deaf or become extremely sensitive to high frequency sounds. Sounds like... this." He turned on his screwdriver, aiming it at the bouncers.

The matron of the house watched in stunned silence as her strong men clutched at their ears and dropped to the floor, crying out in pain from the assault on their hearing. The Doctor waited another ten seconds before shutting off the screwdriver, having used it only long enough to incapacitate the bouncers but not enough to cause them serious damage.

"Now," he said, stepping over one of the moaning men to get closer to the matron. "I believe you were about to tell me how many children you have here. And please don't give me that lie about you not having any again. Valia here is clearly under the legal age limit on this planet and based on her reaction on my asking her age, she is also clearly not here of her own free will."

The Matron blinked a few times looking between the Doctor and her strong men. "Yes, well..." She gulped. "We have six that are just barely below the legal age. Valia, as you noticed, is one of them."

"And is every one of your ladies over the legal age here of their own free will?"

"I don't see..." she started, only to experience the Doctor's intense glare at her. "We'll be ruined," she finished, understanding what he was about to do.

"That's not my problem." He took a deep breath. "I could, of course, call the media." He turned to Pelz. "Who is that reporter on channel 4583? You know, the one that does all the exposés. Tends to bring up ratings I understand."

"Trair Plarkins," Pelz said, not missing a beat.

"That's him! Good ol' Trair! I bet he'd _love _to get the scoop on sexual slavery and the exploitation of the under aged. And I bet you even have the odd boy around here too, don't you? For those who like things a little... spicy."

The woman blanched.

"Or..." the Doctor continued, looking into the matron's eyes. "My friend and I can go through your house and get anyone and everyone who doesn't want to be here or who is under legal age out without any kind of retaliation from you. And you can give us the name of the person who sells you these poor girls. What'll it be?"

She realized that faced with the choice she had only one way to go. It might be difficult to rebuild, but it was possible. Her life after the war had told her that. "Fine. Do what you must. We won't stop you." She looked down at the men. "Not that they could at the moment anyway."

The Doctor grinned manically. "Thank you," he told her, patting her shoulder as he passed her. "Allons-y!" he called back to Pelz as he walked before he stopped abruptly. "Oh, and, Matron. If you reneg on this and any of these people are punished for leaving your 'employ', I will return for you." He bounded up the stairs. "And I wouldn't take on any more slaves, either. Only consenting adults. I'll be watching you."

Over the next few minutes the two men provided their message of hope to the occupants of the brothel. The younger ones were at first concerned that if they left, they'd be rounded up again. Some were afraid to leave for fear that no one would want or care for them again. Pelz assured them that would not happen and told them they'd make sure they were all safe. Soon all who decided to leave were gathered in the living room dressed in whatever they had available, which in many cases wasn't much. The Doctor made sure that all of them were comfortable and out of the sight of the matron, whom he insisted remained out of sight of the occupants. He'd just stepped out of the living room and had closed the door when Pelz came down the stairs, escorting two more people, a young man and a girl.

"Any more?" the Doctor questioned. Gaining a shake of the head from Pelz, he nodded. "Start making arrangements for them to go home. I'm going to talk to our 'host.'" Walking passed the bouncers, who gave the Doctor a fearful stare, he entered the library, closing the door behind him. Tucking his hands into his trousers, he looked on the matron. "Fourteen," he told her, his tone dark. "Fourteen people being used against their wills just so you can make money."

"If you knew what I'd lost..." she began.

"What you lost? What about what _they _lost!" he shouted, pointing towards the living room. "You lost things! They lost their lives!"

"Yes, what I lost! The war took everything that meant anything to me. My family, my world. That lesson taught me to accept things I never would have before, so don't judge me."

"You still have your world," the Doctor said bluntly. "You're standing on it. You have no idea what it is to lose everything." He went up to her so that his face was only a few inches from hers. "I do know what it is to lose everything. I have every _right _to judge you."

Her fear grew exponentially as he moved closer to her. Finally, she whispered, her voice breaking. "You have what you want. Leave."

"Not everything. You still haven't given me the name of your supplier."

She looked away. "He'll kill me if I tell you."

"No, he won't," the Doctor replied firmly. "He won't have the chance."

She swallowed tightly. "Glorn Helford," she said almost too quiet to hear.

"Where can I find him?"

"You can sometimes find him at the _Blan Ton Ridge_."

The Doctor took a breath and a step back, nodding at her words. "Do you own this brothel, Matron?" Gaining a slight nod in response, he started for the door. "Remember what I told you. You keep this place legal or I will have good ol' Trair take a look at you. And then, you _will _lose everything. Nothing better at destroying a business than bad advertisement."

Pelz watched as the Doctor walked out, the look on his recently reacquainted friend's face reminding him that, regardless of what the Doctor looked like, there was an intensity that was uniquely his. "I've called a friend of mine who works for social justice issues. She's willing to take in the newly freed," he said nodding to the group.

"Good," the Time Lord replied. "Glorn Helford. Heard of him?"

Pelz nodded slowly. "Heard of him. He seems to have his finger in a lot of unsavory pies, if you know what I mean."

"Well, he had his finger in this unsavory pie. Apparently likes to haunt the _Blan Ton Ridge_."

The Meridicon's face fell. "I don't doubt it. That place is rough. Even for me."

"Old sea dog like you afraid of some unnecessary roughness?" the Doctor teased gently. "Can't be that bad."

"I doubt that trick of yours will work on their bouncers." There was a knock on the door. "That must be Shala."

The Gallifreyan just tilted his head slightly to concede his friend's statement as the man went to the door to answer it.

Pelz opened the door and allowed a tall, rather gangly woman in. "Hey. Thanks for coming over on short notice."

She smiled. "When you told me why, I knew I had to come." She tilted her head towards the group. "I take it they are my new charges?"

"Most of them have families that have probably been looking for them for a very long time," the Doctor spoke up, noting the expression on her face as she turned towards him.

Shala looked on the strangely dressed man with a bit of interest. The intensity of his eyes counteracted any amusing thoughts that his clothing, which reflected wealth and eccentricity, might have brought about. "Who is this, Jordgen?" she questioned gently, again examining the lanky man in front of her.

"Who's Jordgen?" the Time Lord questioned with interest.

"Me," Pelz answered before turning to the woman. "This man, Shala, is Smytty."

"Smytty? I thought you told me he was a Time Lord."

"Yeah. He is."

"But..."

"I am," the Gallifreyan confirmed. "And please, don't bring up the reason for your doubts. Heard too much of it lately," he added with sadness and some annoyance.

Honoring his request, Shala turned to Pelz. "I thought you told me he wore some kind of ancient Earthen Edwardian frockcoat."

Pelz shrugged. "He's changed. I mean he's changed... totally."

"It happens," the Doctor commented with a hint of a grin. He extended his hand towards Shala. "Hello. I'm the Doctor."

Shala smiled, accepting the hand. "Pleased to finally meet you, Doctor Smyt."

"No Smyt, just the Doctor. Went by an alias last time I was here. Only Pelz here calls me Smytty."

"Just... the Doctor. Okay, then." She took a breath before continuing. "Jordgen has filled me in on the poor souls here. I'll do my best to help them reintegrate with their families."

"Glad to hear it." He took a breath. "Well, it's good to meet you, Shala, but I'm afraid we must finish here quickly. We have another appointment."

The Meridicon detective helped Shala lead the group to the waiting bus outside. Once everyone was on, she walked over to him and gave him a quick peck on the check. "You stay safe now. I don't want to have to get you stitched up again."

He smiled. "Thanks, Shala. I owe you one."

She laughed. "You owe me a lot more than one!" She turned to the Doctor. "You watch out too. Jordgen has a way of getting himself into things he really shouldn't."

The Doctor grimaced slightly. "Yeah, I noticed. I think he probably got that from me. Sorry." He grinned widely at her.

Pelz shook his head. "You might have refined it... didn't start it, though."

"Well... two peas in a pod, then?" he suggested. "We'll be careful," the Time Lord finally assured Shala. "Any friend of Pelz's is a friend of mine." He nodded towards the bus. "You take good care of them."

"You know it. Thanks for caring. Too many people just don't." She got into the bus and started it up, leaving the two men there.

Watching the bus pull away, the Gallifreyan took a deep breath. "Buy me a drink, then... Jordgen?"

"You know, there are only a few people that even know that name," Pelz groused. "I'd prefer you use it sparingly if at all, Smytty. If you know what's good for you, you won't bring the subject up ever again."

"For the sake of our friendship, I shall refrain from the offense. Now about that drink?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The _Blan Ton Ridge_ definitely lived up to its reputation. Or so the Doctor noticed as the_ flitter_ pulled up across the street from the entrance to the hole-in-the-wall bar. The exterior of the bar showed signs of continual neglect, graffiti being the foremost thing to decorate its walls. The noise from the building told of excessive drunkenness and violence, causing the Doctor to frown with hesitation. "I see what you mean," he commented to Pelz as a customer stumbled into the street, his nose obviously bleeding as a testimony to the rest of the damages done to him.

Pelz shrugged. "You didn't think this would be easy, did you?"

"No," the Time Lord replied, shaking his head. "Just makes me wish I looked like I did a regeneration ago. Well... at least for this bit anyway."

"What did you look like then?"

"Tougher," he answered, stepping out of the car. "Wore a lot of leather. And black. Lots of black."

"Ahhh... Yeah... that might have helped." The Meridicon shot him a smile. "Well, no time like the present."

The Gallifreyan shrugged, allowing his friend to take the lead towards the bar. The moment he stepped in, he felt overwhelmed with the stench of tobacco products, vomit, and stale beer and he was fairly certain that the tobacco products weren't all tobacco or legal.

As they walked into the area, Pelz's persona took on a harder edge even as he did his best not to stand out. He was like a chameleon, blending into his surroundings. It wasn't difficult for the Doctor to add a hard edge of his own. All he had to do was think of the man they were looking for and what he had already done. Nonetheless, his dress wasn't exactly the kind that could remain completely unnoticed. He only hoped that the look on his face would drive away anyone who wished to get into trouble.

Moving up to the bar, the tougher looking of the two ordered beers. Once they were served, he pushed one towards the Doctor. With a lowered voice he told him, "I know this isn't your brand, but ordering that good stuff won't exactly help us blend, if you get my drift."

"It's not like I've never been in these places before," the Doctor replied, picking up the beer and taking a large gulp, grimacing slightly. "It's just been a few centuries, that's all."

"Yeah, well..." As he pulled his beer towards his mouth, another patron bumped him. Pelz turned suddenly on the clumsy man. With some heat in his voice, he stated, "Hey, watch yourself, you _blimmb_."

The man shot a weak grin at him. "Sorry." He moved off.

"_Blimmb_. Interesting word," the Doctor murmured, noting that his friend was using coarser language than usual. "My vocabulary is going to expand tonight, I have a feeling."

"Yeah. One of the reasons I don't like this place, aside from its pleasant ambiance," he said sarcastically, "is that you never know if you're being tested, robbed, or simply being bumped by a drunk."

"Well, then, we'll just have to stay on our toes, won't we?" the Time Lord answered, taking a smaller gulp of the cheap beer and resisting the returning urge to grimace. "So, how would you suggest we find our man?"

The detective nodded to the empty back booth. "See there? The 'reserved' spot? Glorn Helford works for Blantz Mikon. He's a high roller around here, has his fingers in everything. And he's not one to mess with. That's Mikon's booth. When that's filled, he's here."

"And Glorn will meet Mikon there? I take it that you know all of this because..." he started, turning around slowly to lean against the bar, the beer in his hand.

"I told you, in my line of work, it's good to know who's playing on whose team. I've never stayed around to see that booth filled, mind you. Just know it's Mikon's spot." He took a gulp of his beer, not grimacing at all. "Found that out the hard way."

"Ah. Well, then... don't want to upset the locals too soon, do we?"

"Nope. In fact, probably not a good idea to approach him here anyway. I suggest we let Glorn come in, see if we can figure out who has Glad. She was probably sold to Mikon himself, seeing as he keeps the more exotic ones for his own brothel. Sells what he sees as seconds to the ones like we were in tonight. That's where your cover comes in. We can learn what Mikon looks like and tail him back to his lair."

"So, I'm posing as an interested buyer again."

"Yes but you won't play that in here. We'd slip up for certain and that would be bad." He gave the Doctor a pointed look. "If we did screw up, it's possible you would have a new face before you're used to your new one. Me? I'd just disappear."

"Well... I've had this face for a while now. I've gotten used to it." He gave him a slight glance. "But I'd rather see your face sometime in the future. We'll wait. If he has Glad, we need to know where she is and what he's done to her. This isn't the place for an interrogation. Or a sting."

The Meridicon nodded and settled in to wait. They didn't have to wait long. About a half hour later, a rather large man walked into the establishment with a couple of even larger men surrounding him, obviously protecting the man, although they gave him space. They made a beeline to the reserved booth. The crowd seemed to part with the appearance of the large man, likely Mikon, showing that most of the patrons not only knew the man but feared him.

The Doctor watched him out of the corner of his eye, noting the expression on his face. It was that of a person who had power and loved to use it. "We need to be sure your assumption is right and that he actually has Glad," he commented to Pelz, his voice lowered. "If he doesn't, following him to his lair, as you put it, won't help us in the least."

"What do you propose?"

"Well, if you just bought a girl like Glad, wouldn't you brag about it a bit?"

"I don't know. I've never been in the market for a girl, like Glad or otherwise," the local gumshoe said wryly.

"Thank Rassilon for that," the Doctor murmured. "But he certainly looks extremely sure of himself. He might just be the bragging type. If I can get close enough, I could listen in on his conversations."

"Worth a try." Pelz scoped out the lay of the land. "Maybe that table." He pointed his head toward a small table not too far from the booth. There were two men at the table but the Meridicon was pretty sure he could convince them to leave for a few beers.

The Doctor glanced at the table in question and nodded. "That'll do nicely," he told him, sniffing slightly. Ordering another two beers, he let Pelz work his magic. A few moments later, his friend was calling him over to the now empty table. Casually walking over, the Gallifreyan took the seat closest to the reserved booth and leaned back as if at ease with his surroundings. In reality, he was focusing his sensitive hearing on the booth, trying to gain whatever information he could. As the three men already in the booth were talking, another man walked in and slid his way in. The Doctor's current partner nodded, indicating this was Glorn Helford.

Mikon was laughing. "Business couldn't be better, boys. Those new acquisitions should be popular with the clientele."

Glorn spoke up. "What about that new girl? You know, she actually bit me when I tried to touch her hair."

Frowning, the head man grumbled. "Yeah. I hear she's not breaking easy. Frab said that once she is, though, she'll definitely be a favorite."

"What makes her so special?" one of the bodyguards questioned. Apparently, the inquiry seemed out of place, so he clarified. "Haven't seen this girl everyone's so excited about."

"She looks and sounds exotic. Sort of elfen," Glorn explained. "Some of our more creative clients will likely want to 'role play.'"

"I'm assuming she's young."

"Definitely. I'd say teenage for sure. The exam showed she's a virgin."

The second bodyguard chuckled. "Lucky bastard who gets to break her _chutia_." He laughed at his raunchy statement.

The Doctor's eyes grew dark as the conversation continued, his jaw tightening involuntarily. "He has her," he told Pelz in a dangerous tone.

"You sure? I couldn't hear anything."

"You don't have Time Lord ears," he answered. "Exotic elfen looking teenage girl who is a virgin and has spirit. Sounds like Glad to me."

Pelz nodded. "You'd know." Seeing the stunned look on the Gallifreyan's face, he clarified immediately. "That really didn't come out the way I'd intended."

"Yeah, I'd say so," the Time Lord replied with a huff. "Anyway, I seriously doubt there are a great many girls on this planet that have elf-like ears." He continued to listen to the conversation.

"The girl's an Earther, you say?" the first bodyguard questioned.

"And a fine pretty she is too," Glorn answered. "Thing is," he commented with a scratch to his head, "she keeps asking for a doctor. Frab keeps having her checked by the doc but all she does is kick and scream and cry anytime he gets near. Strange thing, that pretty is."

Mikon shook his head. "No more excuses. I need her ready by next Wednesday. I have already contracted for her first client."

"Don't worry, Mr. Mikon. She will be. I'll make sure of it," Glorn assured. "And I can guarantee that you won't hear a word of wanting a doctor from her ever again after tonight. Not after Frab starts her initiation."

"Just so long as he doesn't ruin her. I'm getting top dollar for her virginity. Take that away and she loses fifty percent of her initial value."

"Oh, her virginity will be intact. There are other ways to assure she'll take her first _Wyt _eagerly."

The Time Lord could no longer stomach listening to their conversation, his fury edging towards overflowing. Slamming back the last half pint of his beer, he stood abruptly and started for the door.

Pelz looked first at his friend retreating quickly and then to Mikon and his lieutenants. The four hadn't even noticed the tall, dark haired man's quick exit, thank the fates. He got up himself and threw a few _krekkers_ on the table and followed his newest partner out. He found the Doctor leaning against the wall just outside, his eyes closed as he breathed hard. "I take it you heard something."

"Oh, I heard something," came the dark, somber response. The Gallifreyan slowly opened his eyes to look at his friend. "She's been asking for me. Calling for me. She's so scared..." He sniffed slightly. "She's been crying."

The other man pursed his lips tightly, knowing from the manner his friend spoke that this was even worse than he'd expected. "Do they have her working yet?" He hated to ask the question but if the answer was positive, it could give them a way in to see her.

The Doctor didn't reply for a moment. "No. At least, I don't think so." A small proud smile started at his lips. "She's been fighting them, making their lives just that much more miserable. But from what I overheard, they're planning on doing something to her tonight."

The local man put his hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "Then we should get to her before that and put their possession of her in the past tense." He wanted to let the Doctor know he was ready to do whatever it took.

The Time Lord swallowed tightly. "We'll wait in the _flitter_. Follow them."

The Meridicon squeezed the Gallifreyan's shoulder before going to the vehicle, ready to start it as soon as Mikon started for his home base. The Doctor remained silent in their surveillance, unable to get the thought of what would happen to Glad if they failed in their task. From where they were parked, they'd be able to see which high priced vehicle the Meridicon mobster left in. About an hour later, Pelz nudged the Doctor, pulling him out of his reverie. "They're moving."

The Time Lord sat up, watching the group coming out of the pub and walking towards an expensive vehicle. A moment later, the vehicle pulled away and started up the road. The Gallifreyan didn't have to say a word as Pelz began his careful pursuit, keeping the others in sight while still making sure that they stayed out of sight themselves. Finally, the mobster's vehicle pulled up to a large grandiose building, one that obviously cost a large sum of money.

The Doctor stepped out of the_ flitter_, watching with a glare as Mikon entered his house with his entourage.

"You think she's there or some other location?" Pelz questioned.

The Time Lord shook his head for a moment. "Not sure. But the answers are here." Taking a step forward, he suddenly winced slightly in pain and grabbed Pelz's _flitter _for support. "What the hell is that?" he questioned, his free hand quickly undoing his shirt.

"What?" Pelz asked, concerned.

"Don't know. Feels like something's burning my skin..." Pulling up his t-shirt, he looked down at his chest. Galadriel's Eye of Horus pendant, the one the Doctor decided to wear for safe keeping, seemed to be glowing softly, its dark stone seeming almost purple in color from the glow. Gently lifting the pendant from his skin, he found himself releasing it immediately. "It's the pendant. It's hot to the touch. Not scalding but..."

Reaching out to touch it, the detective raised his eyebrows at its warmth. "Why would it do that?" he asked.

Almost immediately, the Doctor's eyes widened. "This pendant. It isn't mine. It's Glad's. She's been wearing it."

"What would that have to do with anything?"

"She received it from a wizard who insisted that she wear it at all times," he answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "They're connected. Glad and this pendant are connected." He noted the way Pelz looked at him. "The pendant obviously has qualities that do not apply to simple precious metals. I don't know what those qualities are yet but... I find it interesting that we're following the best lead so far, with auditory proof that this Mikon has her... and the pendant starts to burn when it never did before."

"So you're saying it's hot because we're close to her? Sort of like a literal 'Closer/Far Away'?"

The Doctor tilted his head slightly at the supposition. "It's possible. More literally like the human game, which is almost exactly the same. Hot, Warm, Cold," he murmured to himself. "I wonder..." Moving around the _flitter _to Pelz's side, he walked into the field across the way from the house. "I'd say it's exactly like Hot, Warm, Cold. The pendant has cooled."

Pelz had followed the Gallifreyan and nodded at his pronouncement. "So now we know for certain she's in there." He bit his lip. "I'm ready to go in but let's make sure you're ready for your close-up."

"Close-up?" Noting the expression on his friend's face, he sighed with resignation. "I was hoping we could have avoided that particular venue. I don't even like pretending to be one of their kind."

"It's our best shot at keeping a cover long enough to stay alive and find her. Now, for the props. I've got some of the _krekkers _to show around," the Doctor's partner stated pulling a large amount of the currency out of his pocket.

"Well, then... Showtime," the response came as the Gallifreyan started back towards the vehicle, noting the way the pendant warmed as he walked. He barely noted Pelz hurrying to catch up with him. Coming up to the gate, the Time Lord gave the guard a smile, straightening his stance to project a sense of knowledge and confidence in the enterprise. "Hello. We would like to see Mr. Helford."

"Who's asking?" replied the goon at the door.

"Mr. Smyt. Joniah Smyt. This is my associate Mr. Larnk Glopz," the Doctor replied, pulling out the psychic paper to show the guard.

Pelz backed up Mr. Smyt. "We've been told you have the best... um... ladies in the First City. We'd like a chance to see for ourselves, if you know what we mean." He made sure to show a sample of his _krekkers_.

The goon noted the money. "That'll buy you a little time."

The Doctor looked into the guard's eyes. "And how much would buy us a lot of time and an audience with Mr. Helford?"

He shrugged. "Another 1,000 _krekkers_?"

"Let me guess," the Time Lord said, tucking his hands into his pockets. "An entry fee?"

"Well, you are wanting to see the boss."

"I suppose we are," came the reply with a sigh. "Pay the man, Mr. Glopz," the Doctor instructed with a nod of his head.

Pelz pulled out the grease money and handed it to the man as if throwing money around like this was an everyday occurrence. The goon pocketed the money and escorted the men into the house. Once inside, he indicated they should wait to be called into Mr. Helford's office.

The Meridicon shook his head. "I have a better idea. Let us see what's available. Then we'll have something specific to talk to Mr. Helford about. Don't want to waste his valuable time."

"Absolutely correct," the Doctor agreed. "Who do we talk to concerning seeing the ladies?"

The goon nodded indicating he'd be back with the Madam in a few minutes. Once they were alone, Pelz turned to his friend. "Glopz? Glopz? You do know that's... well... Henzian Glopz was the inventor of the Glopz Sewage System. You could have come up with a less... odiferous name!"

"I did. I named you Larnk, didn't I?"

"That's not much of a help! Larnk means 'One Who Enjoys.' With the Glopz surname you, my alias means 'one who enjoys sewage!'"

"No, it doesn't," the Doctor protested. "It means 'one who enjoys sewage systems.'"

"Oh... like that's an improvement!," the sarcastic answer came back quickly.

"Besides, have you seen how the Glopz Sewage System works?" the Time Lord continued. "It's amazing! Marvelous piece of technology."

"Unless it's broken, and then you've got a rotten _sutrm_ of _fjarnopes_."

"Well... it could have been worse. I could have called you Gefelde Pritx. They might have shown interest in you in ways other than as a buyer."

Pelz took a breath, suddenly glad that the Doctor didn't give him a feminine name common among the lower classes. "Yeah. If that was the other choice, Larnk Glopz isn't that bad."

A few minutes later, a rather stately woman walked into the room, smiling. "Ah. Mr. Smyt and Mr. Glopz. I'm so glad you chose our house for your evening's pleasure. I'm sure we'll be able to find just the women you're looking for."

"Exotic," the Doctor abruptly stated. "Looking for someone exotic... and young."

The Madam smiled wickedly. "We have a wide selection. I know that one of our girls will suit your eclectic tastes. Are there any other... skills you're looking for?"

"I know it isn't common but..." the Gallifreyan started. "...you don't happen to have a virgin around?"

"Those are rather... difficult to procure and their cost is premium. We need to approve those... deals with Mr. Mikon. However, if you have the _krekkers_, that will make your request more likely to be filled. In the meantime, can I show you what's available?"

The Doctor turned to Pelz. "What say you, Mr. Glopz? Care for a gander?"

"Sounds like a grand idea, Mr. Smyt."

The two men followed the Madam up the stairs of the main house. It was a very large structure, tastefully decorated with antiques and draperies, a look that completely contradicted the purpose of the building. In fact, if the Doctor hadn't already known what obviously occurred there, he would have sworn that it was just a mansion of a financially well-endowed owner who enjoyed the finer things in life. Technically, he admitted, it was. But he didn't consider human beings, or any sentient being for that matter, a "finer thing" when speaking possessively. As they arrived on the first landing, he frowned slightly. Looking at Pelz, he shook his head and pointed towards the floor, hoping that his friend would understand the meaning behind the gesture. Gaining a frown in response, he sighed silently. "She's downstairs," he whispered to him, making sure that his voice was low enough. "We need to lose the Madam."

Pelz came up with a plan on the fly. "Maybe you could excuse yourself... restroom or something. I'll keep the Madam occupied."

"Restroom?" the Doctor questioned with a frown, accidentally gaining the attention of the Madam. "Umm... Yeah. I was wondering if I could possibly use your loo."

The woman raised a discreet eyebrow. "Of course, sir. First floor, first door to your right."

The Doctor gave her a one-fingered salute and started back down the stairs.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

As the Doctor went down the stairs, he pulled out the pendant around his neck, holding it carefully. "I can honestly say I've never used the loo as an excuse before," he murmured to himself before turning to the left, following both his instincts and the growing heat of the pendant before arriving at a locked door. Releasing his hold on the pendant, the Time Lord reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, making quick work of the locking mechanism before opening the door and slipping through it. He found himself facing a set of stairs going down into a dimly lit hallway. Carefully making his way down and along the corridor, he kept his eyes and ears open, wary of trouble possibly coming his way. The further he walked, the more clear a particular sound became and the warmer the pendant around the Doctor's neck felt against his clothed chest. Only fifty feet or so into the cellar, it became apparent that the sound was that of a girl screaming.

Quickly tucking the pendant under his shirt, the Gallifreyan broke into a run, following the sound down another long corridor before skidding to a halt at a door and trying the handle. Finding it unlocked, he slammed the door opened, striding in with confidence and fury.

"What the _fliinkoid_ do you think you're doing?" a muscular man demanded as the Time Lord burst into the room. "This room is not for clients. This girl is not ready for company yet."

Glad was seated, blindfolded with her wrists chained to the arms of the chair. Her skin was reddened in spots, showing that the man had been slapping her. She was sobbing hard enough that she couldn't hear what was going on around her.

"Oh, she is more than ready to get away from you," the Oncoming Storm told him darkly. "This is my only warning. Leave now."

Ignoring the Doctor's warning, the goon pulled his fists back and with great momentum aimed them respectively at the Doctor's head and stomach.

The Time Lord's eyes widened slightly before he reacted quickly, raising one hand in defense while, with the other, he formed a "V" with his fingers and jammed them towards the goon's neck, giving a short sharp sound which strongly resembled a poor impersonation of Bruce Lee. A moment later, while Mikon's trainer rubbed his neck at the action, the Doctor shook his hand, obviously having hurt himself in his own actions. "I swore that worked before!" he complained, the wind having been taking out of his proverbial sails at the realization. "Still, it has been several centuries since I used Venusian aikido."

The goon finished rubbing his neck, an almost pained perplexity showing on his face at the stupid move his adversary had attempted. "You jab two fingers into my neck? Seriously? You honestly think that will stop me?"

"Well... it was supposed to immobilize you until I released you," the Doctor replied. "Obviously, it didn't work." He looked at his offending fingers. "These fingers aren't quite as talented as the ones I had several regenerations back."

The goon had had about enough of the annoying little man. "Well these fingers are very talented... especially en masse." He reached his fist back again and started forward to connect.

The Doctor quickly ducked the punch, sliding under so that he was behind the man a moment later. He needed time to reformulate a plan and so he decided to stall. "You know, there are other ways to address this issue other than physical means."

"Listen, Mr. fancy pants," came the snarled response as the guard turned towards him. "I don't care what you say, I'm going to pound you into the dirt. Nobody gets away with pulling me away from my job, threatening me, and then acting pathetically stupid," the ruffian said turning to the wiry man as he prepared to make good on his threats by cracking his knuckles.

The Time Lord quickly looked his opponent over, instantly understanding the reason his first attempt had failed. The larger man had enough muscle mass in his neck to make the nerve necessary to paralyze him inaccessible. "Fine. I'll do it the hard way if I must." Shaking himself from head to toe, he took a defensive stance, his hands stiff and slightly curved as if he had seen one too many Jackie Chan movies.

"You are so going to regret this," the goon said as he moved quickly to take the man down, his fists ready to connect with the Gallifreyan's head.

Glad's sobs had softened as she realized that her nemesis was no longer hitting her. "Doctor? Are you there?" Glad cried out, hope in her voice.

The plea from the teenager was enough to distract the Time Lord, his head turning to assure her of his presence. He didn't get the chance however as he felt a fist connect with his eye socket, causing him to stagger backwards in an attempt to regain his equilibrium. "Bad timing, Glad," he grumbled, tentatively touching the damaged area. "I haven't had a mark like this in six incarnations." He looked at his opponent. "Are you trying to get me angry?"

Ignoring the man, the ruffian growled at the teenager. "Shut up, you little _blimmb_! I'm not finished with you."

The girl whimpered at the threat. "Doctor?" This time her words didn't hold the same level of hope as before.

Hearing the insult thrown at his friend and still feeling the impact of the fist on his face, the Time Lord growled. "Now you're really in trouble." He pulled himself up, taking a defensive stance once more, his eyes blazing in fury. "Prepare to fall."

The goon's incredulity reached a new level. "You're insane."

"Possibly," the Time Lord goaded while gesturing with his flattened fingers, encouraging the blackguard to make his move.

"Fine. Better make your peace with whatever fates you believe in. You're going to die." He accepted the challenge, moving forward to make good on his own threat.

Glad whimpered at the threat to the Doctor. "Oh, God!" she exclaimed. She immediately started to recite very loudly the prayers she had been taught.

"I told you to shut up!" the guard called over to her, not seeing the Doctor make his own move.

The Gallifreyan quickly made two well placed jabs, one in the neck and one in the stomach, causing the man to bend over. He swiftly held him in place, bringing his knee up into the guard's chest before making a decisive blow to the back of his neck. The man dropped to the floor, dazed from the Time Lord's actions. The Doctor followed him down to jab his thumbs hard into his temples, forcing his opponent into unconsciousness. He looked down on the fallen man for a moment before turning towards the girl chained to the chair. Hurrying to her side, he reached around to untie the blindfold, touching the back of her head gently as he did so. The violent reaction to his touch only infuriated him more, knowing that her actions were borne out of fear of additional harm coming to her.

"Glad, it's okay," he murmured gently. He pulled out the sonic screwdriver, moving his hands to adjust the settings on the device. "It's me. The Doctor."

As the blindfold was removed, she looked up at him and cried out, "Where have you been? I've kept asking for you, praying for you." She began to cry. "They hurt me."

He raised a hand towards her face, relieved when she didn't cringe. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Dropping his hand again, he made quick work of undoing the chains that held her to the chair. He cringed internally at the reddened skin under the metal and the whimper that came from her as he carefully pulled her into an embrace. "Oh, Glad. I'm so sorry," he reiterated with a tight swallow.

Glad, feeling the Doctor's arms around her, did her best not to allow her emotions to overwhelm her. She sniffled as she willed her tears to stop. "Can we leave?"

"Of course," he told her softly. Standing up, he offered his hands so that she could get up from the chair she had been in. Seeing her nearly naked appearance - a flimsy thin long t-shirt being the only thing on her small frame - he quickly shrugged off his long coat and wrapped it around her before enveloping her gently in his arms.

As they moved towards the door, Glad became aware of the man lying on the floor. "Is Sam here too?"

The Gallifreyan raised his eyebrows at her query. "No. My friend Pelz is, though."

"And he did that to him?" she asked nodding to the goon that had brutalized her.

"No, I did. Pelz is upstairs keeping the Madam busy."

"You?" Her eyes widened. "You? But..." She looked down again. "I... I..." She paused, confusion clear on her face. "You?"

"Why is that so difficult to comprehend?" he questioned, pulling her towards him to take her out of the room.

"Because you don't _do_ that," she answered.

"Just because I prefer non-physical confrontations doesn't mean I don't have the ability to defend myself and those around me."

"Yeah. I saw. Wow!" She gave a last glance towards the downed man as they went out the door. "So there!"

The Gallifreyan gave her a gentle smile as they moved towards the steps he had come down before. Even as they stepped out into the foyer of the main house, he felt the presence of two men blocking his and Glad's way to escape.

"Are you going to kick their asses too?" Glad questioned softly.

"I'd prefer not but if necessary..." he responded quietly. He frowned slightly at her when he realized her choice of words. "'Kick their asses'?"

"I heard it on _Ghostbusters_. Sam said the ghosts aren't real but I really liked the movie."

"It is good. But your language... Try to keep you a lady..." he grumbled.

One of the men finally noticed them. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" he demanded.

"My spaceship, actually," the Doctor answered.

"You're not going anywhere with Mr. Mikon's property."

The Gallifreyan moved so that he was standing between Glad and the men, assured that she was close to him the entire time. As he did so, a shout came from the cellar, causing the Time Lord to wince slightly. "Someone just woke up," he muttered to himself. "Damn. Thought he'd be out longer."

"There's the skinny _rizzard_!" the trainer whom the Doctor had knocked in the head stated, fury in his voice. "He assaulted me!" He held his head in his hands, clearly in pain.

The guards at the top of the stairs looked between the Doctor and Glad before giving the ruffian an incredulous look. "Right."

"He did!" the man protested.

"Gentlemen..." the Gallifreyan started. "And I use that term very loosely... there seems to be a bit of miscommunication here."

That was the last thing he said before being roughly hauled up the stairs by the guards. Glad avoided the man that had been trying to break her and ran after the Doctor.

"You let him go!"

DWQLTWDWQLTW

As Pelz kept the Madam busy trying to find a suitable companion for him, he heard a girl's voice rising from downstairs. "Excuse me, I need to go."

The Madam's head tilted. "But we haven't found anyone for you."

"Don't think it's going to happen tonight... bye." Pelz rushed down the stairs to find the Doctor with a young girl and a group of rather ticked off goons surrounding them. "Need some help?" he asked with a bravado he didn't feel.

"A bit of help, yeah," the Time Lord replied, pointing out the guards around them with his head.

"Okay... so plan three is now four. Figures." The detective went to the Gallifreyan's side in order to give assistance to his friend. Turning to the guards, he raised his hands in a defensive manner. "Listen, all we want is the girl. I've got_ krekkers_ to pay for her. Let us do that and no one gets hurt."

At that moment, Blantz Mikon walked out of his office, Glorn Helford following. "What the _fliinkoid _is going on here?"

"Mr. Mikon, it appears that we have a couple of gentlemen who want this _blimmb_... for keeps," the head of security, the first one to stop the Doctor and Glad as they were leaving, spoke up. "These _flargs _think they can buy the girl."

"Yes," the Doctor said abruptly. "We want to buy her. How much?"

"She's not for sale," Mikon responded firmly. "Rent, yes. After next week. I have her first client lined up already."

The Gallifreyan frowned. "You see... that really isn't going to work for us. We don't rent human beings. We don't buy them as a habit either. But you are a businessman and businessmen want a profit. So... how much for a profit?"

"I told you, she's not for sale. She'll make me more money over time than you can come up with."

"Right. So... I'm assuming that that is a permanent 'no'." The Time Lord sighed slightly. "Why is it never easy?" He looked at the men who were starting to inch towards him. Putting his hands behind his back to carefully move Glad, he didn't take his eyes off of the approaching men as he spoke to Pelz. "Take Glad back to the TARDIS," he ordered just loud enough for the Meridicon detective to hear, his voice tight.

Hearing the Doctor's tone, Glad tensed. She had been with the Time Lord long enough to know when he spoke that way that things were going to get worse, much worse. For the first time since he came to her rescue from these men, she was frightened that her friend's life was in danger. "No. I'm not leaving with anyone but you," Glad said wide-eyed with fear. "I'm not leaving your side."

"Glad, this isn't the time..." the Doctor started. Glad had latched on to his arm with a strength that told him she was serious. There was no way she would leave without him even if it would be better if she went with the detective.

Pelz swallowed tightly. He could see how the girl was behaving and immediately understood what this meant. "I think that sets our plan, old friend. You better go with her. I'll be along... I hope," he finished under his breath.

"You wouldn't have a chance."

"But she will. Get her to safety," Pelz ordered firmly.

Seeing that the men weren't going to let Glad go without a fight and that her capture would only make things worse for her, the Time Lord slowly edged himself around the group towards the door. "Pelz..." he started. Hearing Glad scream as one of the men made a break to grab for her, the Doctor took her hand and pulled her quickly with him, dashing out the door and running for his friend's vehicle. Getting Glad quickly into the _flitter_, he turned to go back to the house to rescue the younger man. As he did so, the man who had tried to grab Glad came barreling out of the building, instantly changing the Doctor's mind as to what action to take. He hurried around the vehicle and practically threw himself in, starting the engine and speeding away. As he drove, the Time Lord growled angrily, pounding the steering mechanism in frustration at having to abandon his friend.

Glad seemed frightened by the Doctor's actions. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

The Gallifreyan glanced towards the cowering girl, making sure not to let his eyes stray from the road for any length of time. "What are you..." he started. Realizing the reason for her reaction, he gently reached one hand over and touched her shoulder. "You have nothing to apologize for, Galadriel. It is I who should be apologizing for scaring you. I'm sorry."

She blinked, realizing why he was upset. "You're afraid for Mr. Pelz, aren't you."

The Time Lord's anguish was present in his tone. "I've likely just left him to die."

"He told you to go with me. He chose to stay."

The Gallifreyan turned a quick glare on her. "That's no excuse for my not being there instead of him. I should be the one there, not him. If you'd only have gone with him..."

"But he knows how to fight, right? Otherwise he wouldn't have come with you. He could get away from them." The expression on his face silenced her. Bringing her knees up, she wrapped her arms around them, remaining quiet as the Doctor refocused his attention to the road and to his thoughts.

They had travelled for about an hour when the girl released a small whimper. The sound broke the still tension in the vehicle, causing the Doctor to glance at the girl. "You going to be all right?" he questioned.

"No," she answered truthfully, head hanging down and her voice strung with quiet tension.

Her answer sent a wave of sharp concern through him. He'd known that they'd been trying to break her. The fact that she'd been blindfolded, chained, and slapped told him that she'd been hurt but he'd hoped he and Pelz had gotten there before any real damage had been caused. He pulled the_ flitter_ over to the side of the road, confident that he'd lost any tail that had come after them. Parking, he turned to the girl. "You're safe now. You don't have to be afraid of them anymore."

"I'm not," she murmured with another whimper.

"Then what..." he started. He looked at her hands and noticed blood on them. "Let me see your hands," he instructed softly. She gave him her left hand first. Under each nail a small sliver of wood was extruding, a slight string of blood dripping from the ends of each finger. "Oh, my dear girl. I'm so sorry. I've been so blind." His eyes moistened with sympathy.

"He told me I had to agree to do things with men that were wrong. Like those women you told me about... prostratutes."

"Prostitutes," he corrected with somber quiet.

"Okay." She used her other hand to wipe away the tears that had started falling again. "I told him no. I wouldn't do what he said so he hurt me and told me that he'd keeping hurting me until I agreed." She showed him her other hand. Only the thumb on her right hand was free of the slivers. "He was going to do this one when you came in the room."

The realization of what Glad had endured and how she had refused to be defeated struck him like a knife in one of his hearts. "You are a very brave girl," the Doctor told her with conviction. Raising a hand, he gently wiped the tears from her face. "I'll take care of you, my dear. We'll get you to the TARDIS and have a look at you. Fix you right up."

She nodded but went quiet again. A moment went by before she spoke again, this time not with physical pain but emotional. "I was afraid you'd left me."

"Never," he protested gently, giving her a gentle smile. "I will never leave you, Galadriel. Ever."

"They took my necklace. The one Merlin gave me. He said I should always wear it and they took it."

He straightened, remembering that the item in question was around his neck. He gently removed the necklace and handed it to her with a gentle smile.

Her eyes opened wide as she took it. "You got it back!" she said with relief. A moment later her forehead creased. "How?"

"Apparently, the men who kidnapped you thought that your necklace would fetch them a good sum and they sold it. Fortunately, I was able to procure it from the person they sold it to." He watched as she tried to raised the necklace to put it on, her hands shaking. Gently taking her hands, he murmured, "Let me do that for you," and carefully placed the necklace around the neck of its rightful owner. "That necklace actually helped us find you. Long story. Tell you about it later. Right now... TARDIS," he told her, turning back in the seat before starting to drive the vehicle again.

DWQLTWDWQLTW

Pelz watched as the Doctor and his young friend left the building. He was under no illusion that he would just walk out of the building. He thought back to the battles he'd fought during the war and braced himself. Even if he didn't win this one, he could give the Doctor and Glad enough time to get away unscathed. He knew the Doctor would return if he could and if not... Mikon's men moved towards him, one of them slipping past the detective to hurry after the Doctor and Glad. His return relieved Pelz only in that it meant that his friend and the girl had made a proper escape. The crime boss, however, was not pleased with the obvious loss of his newly acquired girl.

"Where did he take her?" he demanded.

"I don't know," the Doctor's friend stated. "He's not one to stay in one place for too long."

Mikon took another step forward. "I am not a patient man. Nor do I tolerate people who steal from me. So I ask only one more time. Where did he take her?"

"I really honestly don't know. He can go anywhere." When the man's face took on a more menacing look, the Meridicon "jack of all trades" shrugged. "Really. I mean that sincerely. He might not even still be on the planet."

Mikon laughed sourly. "What, that sorry _jrevbu flitter _he left in is some sort of space cruiser?

"No. But his other vehicle is. It was parked just a few kilometers from here. He's probably left or at least will be gone in the next few minutes."

"From what very little I've seen of your friend, I doubt it," the kingpin told him. Looking at his lieutenant, he dramatically pointed at Pelz and then took a step back.

Two of the goons stepped up and took Pelz by the arms. "We'll get the information from him, boss. Don't you worry."

The Doctor's friend swallowed deeply. He'd told them the truth. Well, sort of. He'd only bent it a little to keep them from going after his friend. Mikon's men could beat him but it would have as much effect as getting blood out of a _malarpal_, his loyalty was so strong. He knew they'd try anyway. He didn't expect to survive the night.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The Doctor pulled up near the TARDIS and helped Glad out of the vehicle before gently guiding her to the familiar blue police box. The moment they were inside, he led her through the corridors to the infirmary. Delicately removing his coat from her shoulders, he helped her up onto a couch averting his eyes. He gave her a knee-length medical gown, instructing her to put the article of clothing on in place of the long t-shirt she was wearing.

"I want to check you over, Glad. Make sure that you're healthy and... well... relatively unharmed," he told her. What he didn't say aloud was his fear that the crime lord had done more harm than she had indicated, especially sexually despite what he had overheard in the bar. "For my own piece of mind," he added. "And then we'll take care of your injuries and get you into bed. Hot cup of tea and a biscuit?" he suggested as he pulled out a probe and slowly ran it over the length of her body. He was greatly relieved to find that she had not been violated in the way he'd feared and there was no evidence of internal damage. He would give her a visual exam to assure that there was no more external injuries than he'd already learned in addition to removing the foreign objects from her nail beds.

The girl naturally cried silently as he carefully did his best to tend to her injuries without causing her further pain. He noted that the man who tormented her had also chosen to inflict her behind her ears and between her toes as well as several other places that wouldn't be visibly noticeable without an examination. It was clear that the man was very good at making sure his subjects appeared completely unharmed and the Doctor found himself briefly wishing he'd done more than give Mikon's goon a nasty headache.

The thought of what Glad had been through also brought a glaring spotlight to his mind of what his friend was likely undergoing - there was no doubt in his mind that Pelz wouldn't be spared from severe injury like Glad had been - and again he chastised himself for leaving him even as he recognized it was the only way to save the girl. At the moment, though, he couldn't think about Pelz's status as he needed to deal with the current situation before him. Thus he closed off those thoughts as he tended to her needs.

Once he had done all that he could to ease Glad physically, including applying an antibacterial on the small wounds she did have, he went to the other side of the infirmary and quickly mixed a solution with water in a mug, heating it in the microwave. Bringing the mug to her, he gave her a gentle smile, hiding the internal torment that was furiously bubbling at the edge of his consciousness. "Drink up," he instructed. He watched her obey before retrieving the mug and slipping it into his jacket pocket. "Better?" he questioned, hoping to gauge her mental state with her answer.

The girl gazed on him, her eyes with an almost vacant quality. "I suppose," she answered, her voice equally flat. "I'm tired. Can I go to bed?"

Seeing that she was going into shock from what had happened, the Gallifreyan gently brushed her hair from her forehead. "Of course." Carefully, he picked her up from the couch, cradling her in his arms as he carried her through the TARDIS to her bedroom. Once there, he started to lower her onto her bed. Seemingly from out of nowhere, she suddenly threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, her actions telling everything that she wanted to convey to her closest friend. The Gallifreyan pulled her tighter to return the hug before slowly putting her down on the bed.

"Get some rest. I'll be here for you. All you have to do is call."

"I know," she answered, crawling under the covers. "Right now, I'm so tired. I just want to sleep and make it all go away."

The Doctor touched her cheek reassuringly. "You do that. Good night, my dear girl."

"Good night, Doctor." she replied, her eyes closing.

He watched her for a few moments before moving out of the room. Once on the other side of the door he said quietly to his timeship, "Keep an eye on her for me, will you?" Having taken care of one person he cared for, the Time Lord went to check on Sam, noting that the leaper was still in the large bed that dominated Rose's bedroom. Going to the ill man's side, he touched his forehead, accidentally waking Sam in the process.

"Your fever is gone, I'm glad to tell you."

"I'm feeling better," Sam admitted. The fact that the girl had been kidnapped had been preying on his mind and thus his next question was about her. "Have you found Glad?"

"Yes. We found her," the Time Lord told him. "She's... she's fine. Well, fine physically anyway. Some minor injuries that can't be easily seen. But they'll heal nicely."

"Where did you find her?" he asked, reading from the Doctor's stance that there was more to the story.

"In a high-end brothel." The words dripped from his lips as if just the letters composing them disgusted him. "She was tortured..." he murmured. "But she's fine now. She's safe."

"Tortured? How can you say she's fine?" the leaper asked, pulling forward on the bed in agitation. Before that could be answered, the other words the Gallifreyan had used hit him like a sledgehammer. "Brothel. Oh, God... Did they..." Sam asked tightly. He remembered the leap when he'd experienced the aftermath of a rape. It was something he'd never wish on another human being, especially not a friend.

"No. No, they didn't," the Doctor put in quickly. "Completely unharmed in that manner. But they did try to persuade her into cooperation. She refused to submit." He took a breath. "She's naturally exhausted. Frightened." He paused. "Traumatized." He swallowed tightly. "It's my fault. I brought her here, let her shop while I went to the apothecary. If I'd just insisted that she stay in the TARDIS..."

Sam put his hand out on the Doctor's arm. "You had no way of knowing this would happen." His lips pressed together. "It's going to be hard for her to deal with some of these issues." His mouth formed a rueful grin. "I know from experience."

"There's a story I'm not sure I want to hear," the Time Lord commented quietly.

"It was a leap that started in the emergency room of a hospital. My host had been raped."

"Did they catch the bastard?" The tone of the Gallifreyan's voice showed the instant fury he felt at hearing Sam's words.

Sam nodded. "When he tried the second time, he wasn't expecting to find the woman with the strength of a 180 pound man with martial arts training." He blew out a breath. "But he almost got away with it."

"Well, then... it was a good thing you were there to prevent that."

Sam let out a breath. "Thank God that didn't happen with Glad."

The Doctor grunted his agreement before carefully standing up. "Go back to sleep," he told Sam. "You need plenty to recover from the ZBI."

Sam sighed. "Two weeks confinement, right? I feel like Sleeping Beauty."

"Yeah," came the reply as the Time Lord tucked his hands in his pockets. "Won't be too bad. Your contagiousness will go down quickly. Mind you you'll still be isolated but at least you and Glad can visit with a sanitation field between you."

"Sounds... good." The leaper yawned. "This flu is worse than any I remember having before. I just feel so... drained." He lay back down. "I'm going back to sleep... again."

Looking back as Sam obeyed his order, the Doctor closed the bedroom door. He slowly made his way through the TARDIS, a thousand thoughts running through his mind. Even as he did so, he realized that a great deal of time, far more than he was comfortable with, had passed since he was forced to abandon Pelz at the brothel. Immediately, he ran for the console room and went to the console to set a remote alarm. He reached his hand into his pocket on search of his sonic screwdriver. Feeling ceramic, he pulled out the cup that Glad had been drinking from, glancing at it with annoyance for having forgotten that he had put it in his pocket. Turning back to set the alarm, he was about to leave it on the console so that he could get back out in the streets to find his friend when there was a pounding on the outer door.

"Let me in!" came the muffled sound.

Going over to the door, forgetting the cup in his hand, he opened the door quickly. He didn't even feel the cup slip from his hand, shattering into pieces, as he barely caught Pelz, preventing him from collapsing "What's happened?" he demanded, holding him as he pushed the door so that it would close on its own. He quickly noted the severe cuts and swelling on his friend's face. In fact, if it wasn't for the man's voice, he wasn't even sure he'd recognize him. Even as he pulled the latter to his feet, he noted the scream of pain the action produced, telling the Doctor that this man had much more injuries than what he could see.

"Lock the door!" Pelz exclaimed, as soon as the pain subsided enough. "They're coming."

"It locks automatically. They can't get in," the Time Lord assured him, helping him towards the Captain's chair to set him down. "What happened?"

The Meridicon looked up at him, his sense of humor still intact and just as warped as before. "They decided that since they lost the girl, I should stand in as a punching bag."

"Yeah, well, punching bags don't have fragile bones keeping them intact," the Doctor commented, running his hands carefully over Pelz's lower abdomen. "You've got a couple of broken ribs there."

"I figured." He lifted up his hand. "And a few broken fingers to go with them."

The Gallifreyan grimaced slightly, noting the damage. "You're a mess," he told him bluntly. "Some nasty damage to your right leg, it looks like." He held a finger at him. "Stay here. Need to get an antigrav to take you to the infirmary." Before he could leave the room, the sound of someone trying to open the door, and upset at not succeeding, filtered in. The Doctor turned towards the door and then to his friend. "Don't worry. Nothing can get into the TARDIS without my say so. Not even the whole Seven Cities Militia."

The detective swallowed tightly. "That's good. If they weren't thrilled with me before, they're absolutely livid now."

"And why is that?" the Doctor shouted back as he walked through the inner door into the corridor. Pelz didn't get a chance to answer the question for a minute or so as the Time Lord retrieved the antigrav - a floating metallic stretcher - and returned to the console room. "Why are they livid?" he asked as if he hadn't left.

"Well, let's just say... you don't need to worry about Blantz Mikon anymore."

"Meaning?"

"He's dead."

The Doctor looked at him with sadness that held slight disapproval while at the same time understanding. "You killed him."

"Not intentionally," the man stated flatly. "It just sort of happened when I was fighting Glorn Helford for his gun."

The Time Lord didn't answer as he went to his side and helped him to stand again. "Come on," he said softly, helping him to lie on the antigrav. "We'll get those bones knitted, tend those wounds." He examined him carefully once again. "They're not too bad, those cuts. You won't need bandages. Just a bit of cleaning and they'll heal on their own. The broken bones, of course, will take a little longer."

"I can't stay where I am," Pelz voiced.

"Of course not. Can't tend your wounds in the console room," the Doctor replied, pushing the antigrav with one hand to move his friend into the infirmary.

"No, that's not what I meant." The pain was getting to him and he was having trouble making his thoughts clear. "They'll kill me as soon as they find me, you know. And even if that door is as strong as you say it is, they'll eventually find some way to get in."

"Neither of those is going to happen. I won't allow it," the latter assured him firmly, pushing the antigrav.

"You can't stay on the planet forever," the Meridicon pointed out logically.

"Never said I was going to."

The man grinned, in spite of the pain. "Then we're in agreement." He grimaced as the antigrav stopped by the medical couch and the Doctor skillfully pulled him onto it. Once there, he asked, "So, you going to change my face the way you did yours?"

"Could if you want me to but, as I said before, I rather like the face you have... at least when it's not damaged." The Time Lord reached for a sedative and injected him with a dose. "You just let me worry about keeping you from meeting the fates."

The sedative was fast acting and Pelz smiled in relief as the pain faded and sleep began to overtake him. His words slurred as he told his friend, "Good. I'm not ready to go anywhere right now," he murmured before slipping into unconsciousness.

The Doctor gave a slight smile as his friend fell asleep. Then, seriousness taking over his features, he proceeded to carefully remove Pelz's clothing so that he could get a better look at the damage done to him. Frowning with concern, he noted the harsh bruises that were starting to show and the blatantly obvious breaks in his friend's ribs, finding two more that he hadn't noticed the first time, and five of his fingers. His leg looked as if it had been hit multiple times with a heavy blunt object. The Meridicon was lucky the bone hadn't broken but the Doctor was relatively sure it was cracked. The examination also revealed a cracked skull which indicated that his head had been slammed against something extremely solid and unmoving. With practice he wish he hadn't needed, the Time Lord skillfully reset every broken bone before running a large piece of machinery over the whole of Pelz's body, mending the bones enough for them to heal the rest of the way naturally. He cleaned the cuts and wrapped Pelz's ribs, leg and fingers to prevent them from weakening as they finished healing, making sure that his head was cushioned against hard surfaces.

After all was done, he sat beside the bed for a long moment before proceeding to the console room. The pounding on the door had become far worse, causing the Time Lord to shake his head. "They just don't get it," he murmured as he set coordinates and sent the TARDIS into the time vortex. Making sure that the TARDIS was on course for their destination, he slid onto the Captain's chair and put up his feet. Today had to have been the most stressful that he could ever remember having, primarily because none of his three friends were in the best condition.

He didn't even notice his eyes drifting closed nor the steady pace of his breathing. At least not until a niggling at the back of his mind woke him up. Moaning slightly, he dropped his feet back to the floor and sat upright. "What is it now?" he questioned, knowing that his timeship was trying to get his attention. "What do you mean a bad night? Which one? There's only three of them!" he pointed out, the TARDIS' feelings clear to him as if they had been actual words. His attention was drawn to the viewscreen as the obvious thrashing about of the young girl he'd saved was shown clearly.

"No! Keep away from me!" There was the sound of whimpering. "No! Stop! Don't touch me!" She was certainly trying to fight someone off.

His eyes widening with worry, the Doctor hurried from the console room towards Glad's bedroom. Entering quickly, he stopped abruptly by her bed, not wanting to make her more distressed with the wrong actions or words. Sitting on the bed, he spoke gently, "Glad. Galadriel, my dear, wake up. It's just a dream. You're safe."

The dream still had her. "Doctor? You're there?" She reached out into the air and couldn't find him. "No, you're just a dream. You've left me." Her voice was utter despair.

"No, I haven't," he assured her softly, reaching for her hand to take it. "Here's my hand. Can you feel it, Glad?" He brushed her hair from her face. "Open your eyes, my dear. Let me see your blue eyes."

She slowly opened her eyes, as he ordered. "You really are here. I thought… I really thought…" She hiccupped a sob. "Doctor… they hurt me."

"Come here," he murmured softly, pulling her into a hug. "They can't hurt you ever again. I promise. And I always keep my promises, don't I?"

She nodded into his shoulder before pulling away. "What happens if something goes wrong, though? What if you get hurt?"

"Nothing will happen to me," he said, looking into her eyes. "Besides, if anything does happen, I have you. We have each other. And you will never see those men again."

She smiled tentatively. "Never?"

"Never," he repeated firmly. He brushed a loose strand of hair away from her eyes. "Now, why don't you try to get some sleep?" he suggested. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he changed tactics quickly. "Or we could get a hot tea and biscuit."

She nodded at that. "Can I have sugar in my tea?"

"Of course," he told her. "Just not too much." He chuckled slightly. "You and your sweet tooth. I think I created a sugar addict here."

She smiled as she hopped out of bed, putting on her slippers and pulling her robe tightly around her. "To the kitchen, then."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The Doctor didn't sleep through the night, concern for his friends preventing him from resting. Sam was still ill and contagious with ZBI, although that stage of the disease would likely break within the next few days due to the medicine he'd been taking. He'd still need time to convalesce but at least he would be safe and no one else would contract it. Glad, on the other hand, was going to be an ongoing project with her well-being. While she was healed physically - her injuries were fairly easy to repair with his medical equipment - her mental state would be an issue for a long while, though he was certain that she would get better with time and some tender loving care. As for Pelz, the Time Lord had set his broken bones and provided as much advanced healing technologies as he could. Additionally, although his Meridicon friend would pass off his injuries as 'a part of his job', the fact was he'd been tortured almost to his death and would also likely have some psychological scars. Like the other two, it would take time before he could discuss what the next step for Pelz would be. For the time being, drifting in the time vortex was the best option.

Walking to the infirmary, he went up to Pelz, noting that he was awake. "Feeling better?" he questioned, standing over his prone friend. He looked at a readout showing Pelz's latest physical condition, nodding at what he was seeing before redirecting his gaze towards the Meridicon. "Think you're up to a bit of a stroll?"

"Stroll? I can't believe I'm still alive and you're talking about going for a walk?"

"Well, I'd be the one walking, actually. Thought you'd like to get out of the infirmary, maybe see the gardens."

"Gardens? Where are we? I don't remember leaving that blue box of yours."

"We're still in my blue box and will be for a while. Decided to put us in the time vortex until you're healed. Doesn't mean you can't enjoy a garden every now and then." Going past the couch, he located a wheelchair and brought it around. "Your ride. Want me to help you?"

"_Briztlets_, man, I haven't become a _helgleg_, you know." He groaned as he moved to get into the chair, not complaining when the Doctor moved in to guide him, providing the support he needed to keep from falling to the floor. When finally seated, he grumbled a 'thanks,' although the Doctor understood the sound was not from lack of gratitude but rather the loss of self-reliance.

"You're extremely lucky," the Time Lord commented, pushing him out of the infirmary and down the corridor. "I keep telling you to stay out of trouble but you keep contradicting my orders. I mean, I appreciate your holding Mikon's men back while I got Glad out of there. But next time, try not to get yourself mangled in the process."

"It really wasn't what I was trying for but they sort of insisted." The Meridicon sighed. "How's she doing? How far had they..." He didn't complete his thought, knowing the man behind him would know what he was thinking.

"Glad's fine. Only roughed her up. Brave girl, my dear Glad," he added, admiration in his voice.

"She's lucky." His neck tensed showing how upsetting his story was to tell. "When the madam was trying to find a..." His voice turned sour. "...suitable companion for me, you wouldn't believe what I saw. It was awful. What these people are doing is a crime against all that's good and right."

"I know," the Doctor replied quietly. "Believe me, I want to go back and free all of them but they'll only be replaced with other souls."

"Someone must stop them."

"Absolutely," the Gallifreyan replied. "And someone will, eventually." Pushing the chair through an open door, he grinned as Pelz gasped in disbelief. "Told you I was taking you to the garden."

"It's beautiful. This small box holds all of this? What other wonders are there in your ship?"

"Let's see... several other different gardens, several libraries, a couple of movie theaters, music rooms, storage rooms, a few swimming pools... There was a stable once but I decided that the horses weren't conducive to traveling in the time vortex. Couple of garages for motorized vehicles, a few art galleries, a couple of wardrobes... I think that's a good part of it."

"A good part of it. Don't you know for certain?"

"Well, I haven't really had time to explore it properly."

"And you've had this box for how long?"

"It's changed over the years."

"You know, I don't think you'll ever cease to amaze me. Hard to do but you've got the ability to do it."

The Gallifreyan grinned broadly at the compliment, pushing him further into the garden before stopping beside a bench. Locking the wheels in place, he found a seat on the bench, stretching his long legs out before him. "Love this garden. Best flora from my favorite planet."

"And that would be?"

"Sol 3. Otherwise known as Earth."

"That planet's under quarantine. Nasty plague from what I've heard. Reports question whether the humans will survive it."

"They'll survive. They're indomitable."

Pelz was quiet for a long moment. "You mentioned a time vortex before. Does that allow you to see Earth's future?"

"Allows me to travel to Earth's future. And her past. But not just Earth. Anywhere in time and space, actually." The Doctor glanced at his friend, watching for his reaction at this latest bit of information.

"I knew you were a Time Lord but I didn't realize that meant you could truly go to any time. Must be fascinating."

"Oh, it's brilliant!" the Gallifreyan exclaimed. "I've seen so many wonderful things and I haven't even scratched the surface of the universe. Saw the beginning of the universe once. A bit violent for my tastes. Wasn't at all pleasant. Now you want a good place to go? Victorian London. Just... avoid 1888. Not a good year."

"You've also see horrible things too, though, right? Like Mikon's organization and probably worse."

"I don't let the bad things affect my view of the universe," he told Pelz, his tone firm.

"Must be nice to be able to choose what you see. Ignore the evil that people do to each other due to greed and hate. I'm so sick of all of it but I can't get those scenes out of my mind."

The Doctor sat up at Pelz's words, a frown on his features. "You think I ignore all that is wrong in the universe?"

"You said you don't let the bad things..."

"Pelz, if I ignored the evils in the universe, your home planet would still be in the middle of the worst civil war it had ever seen! You know me better than that and, frankly, I'm offended that you think so little of me."

The Meridicon looked at his friend with sorrow. "I'm sorry. I know what you did. Saw it with my own eyes. I shouldn't expect one person, even a Time Lord, to be able to stop those things." He looked away, ashamed of his doubt.

Seeing the expression on his friend's face, the Gallifreyan reached out and put his hand on his shoulder. "The key to everything is a positive outlook, no matter what the situation. You're right. I've seen some terrible things. But then I remember that I have friends like you and the universe is that much better."

Feeling the touch of the Gallifreyan's hand, Pelz looked up again. "I'm glad we became friends as well. You don't know what the war was like on Meridia before you came and ended it. It was as if people had lost their minds, their souls. People torn from their homes, families devastated. The weapons they used..." He paused. "Then you came and I thought I'd seen a miracle. But once the peace was established, you left and we had to figure everything on our own. Well, you saw how far from fairness and compassion we still are."

The Time Lord removed his hand, his face becoming somber as Pelz spoke. "I fix a problem, I move on. That's how I work," he said, his tone low as he looked away from the Meridicon's gaze.

"I'd always hoped you'd return. But when the Time Lords and the Daleks died, I thought I'd never see you again."

"So you said before. Good thing you were wrong."

Pelz didn't answer for a long time. Finally he responded. "I wish you hadn't returned."

The Doctor turned his head abruptly towards him. "What?"

"If you'd never come back, Glad would never have been taken by the monsters my world has created. If that hadn't happened..." He allowed his words to trail off, the reality not spoken.

"If I hadn't come back, my friend would have died from Zante's Bronchial Influenza. As for Glad, do you think I wanted her to be taken? That I don't think about how I should have kept a better eye on her or, better yet, made her stay in the TARDIS?"

"You came to Meridia for the medicine for Earth's plague? How would you be able to break through the quarantine to take it to your friend?"

The Doctor sighed, standing and walking a short distance, already feeling where this conversation was going. "He wasn't on Earth when he contracted it."

"Then where? It hasn't spread beyond there."

"Lastiarus in the future. By then the plague had dissipated from Earth and was no longer considered a threat to general populations. But my friend is from Earth's distant past, before the plague even took root, and he didn't have the immunity to fight it on his own. I had to procure the medicine and I'm insuring that it doesn't become Beckett's Bronchial Influenza."

Pelz tilted his head, trying to understand what his friend was inferring. His eyes widened as accusation entered them. "You brought the plague to my planet? Civil war wasn't enough? Devastation by disease would be the result if it was released. How could you?"

"He's under quarantine and has been since we left Lastiarus. Meridia was never in danger of being contaminated."

"How do you know? You weren't able to save your own people."

The Time Lord's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't go there," he warned.

The detective saw the swift change in the Gallifreyan's demeanor. He'd seen that look several times during their search for the girl. He'd also seen that look before when he'd been on the battlefield, looking into his commander's eyes. He suddenly realized that he'd never seen the friend that stopped his planet's bloodbath with that bridled rage. Intensity, yes, but not this. "Can you take me back to the infirmary?" he asked quietly.

"I'll give you a room," the Doctor told him, going to unlock the wheels before pushing Pelz out of the garden. He took him through the hallway and into a plush bedroom, pulling the chair up to the side of the bed. Once again locking the wheels, he paused before offering his hand. "Do you need help into the bed or would you rather sit and read?" He gestured to a reading chair on the other side of the wheelchair.

Pelz looked into the Time Lord's eyes, now seeing hurt and pride merged. "I think I'd like to sleep for now."

Nodding slightly, the Gallifreyan gently helped his friend out of the chair and guided him onto the bed, trying to keep from jostling his battered body further. Once he was sure that the Meridicon was comfortably situated, he told him, "If you need anything, just call for me. I'll be here as soon as possible."

The answer was quiet but it was true. "I appreciate your help and I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"I know you didn't mean it," the Doctor murmured in return, going towards the exit. "Get some sleep." He shut the light off before closing the door.

Taking a deep breath, he started towards the console room, his thoughts focused on the conversation he'd just had with his old friend. While he and the Meridicon hadn't known each other for long in the grand scheme of time - perhaps a total forty Meridian days between this visit and his previous one - they had developed a friendship strong enough for him to know that Pelz's attitude during their talk was anything but normal for him. In the span of only a few hours, his friend had shifted from entrepreneurial private detective to war veteran with the weight of all that experience pulling him downward in a spiral. The Doctor knew that feeling all too well, had seen it happen to himself. If it hadn't been for Rose Tyler's healing influence, he wasn't sure he still wouldn't be as angry with the universe as he had been. Pelz's emotional scars were deep, the Doctor realized, dating all the way back to the Meridian Civil War. The tortured he'd suffered at the hands of Mikon and his men were only the catalyst for the opening of old wounds. The Gallifreyan knew he needed to find a way to heal his old friend's spirit as well as his body.

In addition, there was the problem of Glad. She too was severely traumatized by the events in Mikon's mansion, though her emotional scars were not as deep as Pelz's. While warm drinks and biscuits were wonderful temporary solutions, they wouldn't alleviate the nightmares she'd been having. Glad needed somewhere she could feel comfortable, somewhere away from people for a while. She needed as much help as Pelz to recover from her own terrible experience.

As for Sam, he still had the problem of being trapped in Rose Tyler's life. They couldn't return to Earth for at least another couple of weeks, as Sam was still contagious with ZBI although that was likely to change soon. He would, even after he could no longer pass on the virus, need time to recover his health as the illness would leave him weak.

Reaching the console room, the Gallifreyan sat on the jumpseat, his eyes staring at nothing as he reviewed all of these thoughts. There was one more condition to the whole situation. They couldn't stay in the time vortex indefinitely. Maintaining stability in the vortex took a lot of power and he could sense the strain it was causing the TARDIS. They would need to land somewhere and soon.

After several minutes of thinking on the problem, the Time Lord stood up and moved to the console, walking around it as he set coordinates. He knew the perfect spot for his friends to recover, isolated from the rest of the universe and restful.

The TARDIS had just landed when Glad walked into the console room, looking as if she hadn't had a decent night's sleep in ages. The Doctor walked up to her and gently cupped her face before pulling her into a hug. "It will get better," he assured her.

She smiled. "I'm glad to be back on the TARDIS. I thought I'd never see her again."

"She's your home for as long as you want her to be," the Time Lord told her. Then, with a smile, he pulled back and looked at her. "I was thinking... how about a holiday? Somewhere quiet and peaceful. No people. Just the earth and the sky above us... and a tent. Definitely will need a tent."

"What about Sam?"

"Well, as long as he keeps a good twelve feet away from you... and he's within a quarantine field..." Seeing the look on her face, he explained, "He's still contagious. And the last thing you need right now is a bout of Zante's Bronchial Influenza."

"You mean if I get close to him I'll get sick?"

"Yes, you will," the Doctor answered her. "Remember? That was the reason I wouldn't let you into his room at all."

She nodded. "I guess I forgot."

"That's okay. Only natural." He started guiding her towards the outer doors.

As they moved towards them, she hesitated. "No people?"

"No people. Just some very friendly creatures."

She moved forward a little quicker, eager to see the new world the Doctor had brought her to.

They walked out into a verdant and lush world. In the distance were mountains. They weren't so far, though, that one couldn't see the waterfalls. "It's beautiful," she exclaimed. "What's the name of this planet?"

The Doctor grinned with genuine delight at her words. "Like it, I take it," he commented. "I'm afraid it doesn't have a name. It's my personal paradise. I don't think any other sentient creatures found it and I'm not about to give its whereabouts. Well, if someone did find it, I think they'd feel the same way that I do about it. I just decided that a place like this... well, it should just... be. We can... go for a hike, take a swim, smell the local flowers, play with the _jrulubees_... anything you want. Perfect little getaway spot. One of the few planets in the entire universe where one can literally get away from it all. And the only people within a hundred billion miles you will see are me, Sam, and..." He stopped, realizing that Glad didn't yet know the man they'd left at Mikon's house had returned. "... and Pelz," he finished, wondering how she would react to the news.

"Pelz? He was the man that you were afraid for?"

The Time Lord nodded slightly. "He made it back to the TARDIS but... he wasn't well. They hurt him. Almost killed him. But he found a way to escape."

She blinked. "I'm glad." When the Doctor looked at her strangely, she clarified. "That he got away not that he'd been hurt."

"Yeah," the alien agreed somberly. "Me too."

"So, this place... we're just going to stay here for awhile? No more traveling?"

The Gallifreyan took a deep breath. "Not for a while. I think it would be best for everyone to just... relax. Gain some serenity."

She smiled. "I'd like that." She bit her lower lip. "Is Pelz a nice man?"

"Most of the time," he answered, thinking about how the Meridicon had spoken to him before. "He's a bit... shaken right now. Like you."

"Were they trying to make him..." she queried at the comparison to herself.

"No. No, they didn't. They hurt him but for different reasons. Mikon wanted to know where I'd taken you and Pelz refused to tell them. They didn't like that."

"So he was protecting me?"

A gentle smile of gratitude came to the Doctor's features. "Yes. But it wasn't easy for him to handle in the end and he's still hurt from what they did to him, in every way... physically, mentally, and spiritually."

"I want to see him. Thank him for what he did. Arthur always told his knights how important it was to protect the weak. At least, that's what my father told me. What Pelz did was follow what Arthur said even if he couldn't have known our king."

The Gallifreyan thought about Glad's words for a moment, considering their value. At the very least, it would be a start to the healing process for both of them. "That's a good idea, my dear. But Pelz is sleeping at the moment. Perhaps in a few hours. In the meantime..." He gestured to the green pastures and trees around them. "Where do you want to go today? As long as it's fairly close to the TARDIS, you can go anywhere you like. Maybe we'll find a couple of_ jrulubees_."

"What are _jrulubees_?"

"Furry little things. Look sort of like tail-less mice but are a little bigger and have a lot more hair. Actually, more like a mix between a tail-less mouse and a hamster. Completely harmless and love to be petted. Thought about taking one as a pet but then I decided it wouldn't be fair to the _jrulubee_."

"A mouse? Those are awful! They get in your hay and grain and make an awful mess. That's why we had cat on the farm. To catch the horrid things."

"Right..." the Doctor murmured, realizing that the girl never would have thought of a mouse as a pet and had probably never even seen a hamster. "Well, _jrulubees _aren't about to get into your hay or grain and make an awful mess since there aren't any farms around here. They're really very timid creatures and they love to play."

"Well... maybe they'll be okay." Her eyes lit up. "Do you think we can go on that thing Sam told me about before he got sick?"

The Time Lord tucked his hands into his pocket, looking at her with questioning. "What thing was this?" he asked.

"He called it a 'picnic.'"

"A picnic!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Of course, we can go on a picnic! Throw together a few morsels in the kitchen, grab a basket and a blanket, pick a direction and just keep going until you find a nice little spot." He looked around. "I'm thinking by a lake or stream might be nice."

"That sounds wonderful." She looked at him shyly. "Can we even bring some of those cookies with the soft brown bits in them?"

"Chocolate chips. Sure. We can bring some biscuits... cookies... Whatever you want to call them." He took her hand. "Want to help me make lunch?"

She nodded and followed him into the kitchen.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 10**

The Doctor didn't sleep through the night, concern for his friends preventing him from resting. Sam was still ill and contagious with ZBI, although that stage of the disease would likely break within the next few days due to the medicine he'd been taking. He'd still need time to convalesce but at least he would be safe and no one else would contract it. Glad, on the other hand, was going to be an ongoing project with her well-being. While she was healed physically - her injuries were fairly easy to repair with his medical equipment - her mental state would be an issue for a long while, though he was certain that she would get better with time and some tender loving care. As for Pelz, the Time Lord had set his broken bones and provided as much advanced healing technologies as he could. Additionally, although his Meridicon friend would pass off his injuries as 'a part of his job', the fact was he'd been tortured almost to his death and would also likely have some psychological scars. Like the other two, it would take time before he could discuss what the next step for Pelz would be. For the time being, drifting in the time vortex was the best option.

Walking to the infirmary, he went up to Pelz, noting that he was awake. "Feeling better?" he questioned, standing over his prone friend. He looked at a readout showing Pelz's latest physical condition, nodding at what he was seeing before redirecting his gaze towards the Meridicon. "Think you're up to a bit of a stroll?"

"Stroll? I can't believe I'm still alive and you're talking about going for a walk?"

"Well, I'd be the one walking, actually. Thought you'd like to get out of the infirmary, maybe see the gardens."

"Gardens? Where are we? I don't remember leaving that blue box of yours."

"We're still in my blue box and will be for a while. Decided to put us in the time vortex until you're healed. Doesn't mean you can't enjoy a garden every now and then." Going past the couch, he located a wheelchair and brought it around. "Your ride. Want me to help you?"

"_Briztlets_, man, I haven't become a _helgleg_, you know." He groaned as he moved to get into the chair, not complaining when the Doctor moved in to guide him, providing the support he needed to keep from falling to the floor. When finally seated, he grumbled a 'thanks,' although the Doctor understood the sound was not from lack of gratitude but rather the loss of self-reliance.

"You're extremely lucky," the Time Lord commented, pushing him out of the infirmary and down the corridor. "I keep telling you to stay out of trouble but you keep contradicting my orders. I mean, I appreciate your holding Mikon's men back while I got Glad out of there. But next time, try not to get yourself mangled in the process."

"It really wasn't what I was trying for but they sort of insisted." The Meridicon sighed. "How's she doing? How far had they..." He didn't complete his thought, knowing the man behind him would know what he was thinking.

"Glad's fine. Only roughed her up. Brave girl, my dear Glad," he added, admiration in his voice.

"She's lucky." His neck tensed showing how upsetting his story was to tell. "When the madam was trying to find a..." His voice turned sour. "...suitable companion for me, you wouldn't believe what I saw. It was awful. What these people are doing is a crime against all that's good and right."

"I know," the Doctor replied quietly. "Believe me, I want to go back and free all of them but they'll only be replaced with other souls."

"Someone must stop them."

"Absolutely," the Gallifreyan replied. "And someone will, eventually." Pushing the chair through an open door, he grinned as Pelz gasped in disbelief. "Told you I was taking you to the garden."

"It's beautiful. This small box holds all of this? What other wonders are there in your ship?"

"Let's see... several other different gardens, several libraries, a couple of movie theaters, music rooms, storage rooms, a few swimming pools... There was a stable once but I decided that the horses weren't conducive to traveling in the time vortex. Couple of garages for motorized vehicles, a few art galleries, a couple of wardrobes... I think that's a good part of it."

"A good part of it. Don't you know for certain?"

"Well, I haven't really had time to explore it properly."

"And you've had this box for how long?"

"It's changed over the years."

"You know, I don't think you'll ever cease to amaze me. Hard to do but you've got the ability to do it."

The Gallifreyan grinned broadly at the compliment, pushing him further into the garden before stopping beside a bench. Locking the wheels in place, he found a seat on the bench, stretching his long legs out before him. "Love this garden. Best flora from my favorite planet."

"And that would be?"

"Sol 3. Otherwise known as Earth."

"That planet's under quarantine. Nasty plague from what I've heard. Reports question whether the humans will survive it."

"They'll survive. They're indomitable."

Pelz was quiet for a long moment. "You mentioned a time vortex before. Does that allow you to see Earth's future?"

"Allows me to travel to Earth's future. And her past. But not just Earth. Anywhere in time and space, actually." The Doctor glanced at his friend, watching for his reaction at this latest bit of information.

"I knew you were a Time Lord but I didn't realize that meant you could truly go to any time. Must be fascinating."

"Oh, it's brilliant!" the Gallifreyan exclaimed. "I've seen so many wonderful things and I haven't even scratched the surface of the universe. Saw the beginning of the universe once. A bit violent for my tastes. Wasn't at all pleasant. Now you want a good place to go? Victorian London. Just... avoid 1888. Not a good year."

"You've also see horrible things too, though, right? Like Mikon's organization and probably worse."

"I don't let the bad things affect my view of the universe," he told Pelz, his tone firm.

"Must be nice to be able to choose what you see. Ignore the evil that people do to each other due to greed and hate. I'm so sick of all of it but I can't get those scenes out of my mind."

The Doctor sat up at Pelz's words, a frown on his features. "You think I ignore all that is wrong in the universe?"

"You said you don't let the bad things..."

"Pelz, if I ignored the evils in the universe, your home planet would still be in the middle of the worst civil war it had ever seen! You know me better than that and, frankly, I'm offended that you think so little of me."

The Meridicon looked at his friend with sorrow. "I'm sorry. I know what you did. Saw it with my own eyes. I shouldn't expect one person, even a Time Lord, to be able to stop those things." He looked away, ashamed of his doubt.

Seeing the expression on his friend's face, the Gallifreyan reached out and put his hand on his shoulder. "The key to everything is a positive outlook, no matter what the situation. You're right. I've seen some terrible things. But then I remember that I have friends like you and the universe is that much better."

Feeling the touch of the Gallifreyan's hand, Pelz looked up again. "I'm glad we became friends as well. You don't know what the war was like on Meridia before you came and ended it. It was as if people had lost their minds, their souls. People torn from their homes, families devastated. The weapons they used..." He paused. "Then you came and I thought I'd seen a miracle. But once the peace was established, you left and we had to figure everything on our own. Well, you saw how far from fairness and compassion we still are."

The Time Lord removed his hand, his face becoming somber as Pelz spoke. "I fix a problem, I move on. That's how I work," he said, his tone low as he looked away from the Meridicon's gaze.

"I'd always hoped you'd return. But when the Time Lords and the Daleks died, I thought I'd never see you again."

"So you said before. Good thing you were wrong."

Pelz didn't answer for a long time. Finally he responded. "I wish you hadn't returned."

The Doctor turned his head abruptly towards him. "What?"

"If you'd never come back, Glad would never have been taken by the monsters my world has created. If that hadn't happened..." He allowed his words to trail off, the reality not spoken.

"If I hadn't come back, my friend would have died from Zante's Bronchial Influenza. As for Glad, do you think I wanted her to be taken? That I don't think about how I should have kept a better eye on her or, better yet, made her stay in the TARDIS?"

"You came to Meridia for the medicine for Earth's plague? How would you be able to break through the quarantine to take it to your friend?"

The Doctor sighed, standing and walking a short distance, already feeling where this conversation was going. "He wasn't on Earth when he contracted it."

"Then where? It hasn't spread beyond there."

"Lastiarus in the future. By then the plague had dissipated from Earth and was no longer considered a threat to general populations. But my friend is from Earth's distant past, before the plague even took root, and he didn't have the immunity to fight it on his own. I had to procure the medicine and I'm insuring that it doesn't become Beckett's Bronchial Influenza."

Pelz tilted his head, trying to understand what his friend was inferring. His eyes widened as accusation entered them. "You brought the plague to my planet? Civil war wasn't enough? Devastation by disease would be the result if it was released. How could you?"

"He's under quarantine and has been since we left Lastiarus. Meridia was never in danger of being contaminated."

"How do you know? You weren't able to save your own people."

The Time Lord's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't go there," he warned.

The detective saw the swift change in the Gallifreyan's demeanor. He'd seen that look several times during their search for the girl. He'd also seen that look before when he'd been on the battlefield, looking into his commander's eyes. He suddenly realized that he'd never seen the friend that stopped his planet's bloodbath with that bridled rage. Intensity, yes, but not this. "Can you take me back to the infirmary?" he asked quietly.

"I'll give you a room," the Doctor told him, going to unlock the wheels before pushing Pelz out of the garden. He took him through the hallway and into a plush bedroom, pulling the chair up to the side of the bed. Once again locking the wheels, he paused before offering his hand. "Do you need help into the bed or would you rather sit and read?" He gestured to a reading chair on the other side of the wheelchair.

Pelz looked into the Time Lord's eyes, now seeing hurt and pride merged. "I think I'd like to sleep for now."

Nodding slightly, the Gallifreyan gently helped his friend out of the chair and guided him onto the bed, trying to keep from jostling his battered body further. Once he was sure that the Meridicon was comfortably situated, he told him, "If you need anything, just call for me. I'll be here as soon as possible."

The answer was quiet but it was true. "I appreciate your help and I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"I know you didn't mean it," the Doctor murmured in return, going towards the exit. "Get some sleep." He shut the light off before closing the door.

Taking a deep breath, he started towards the console room, his thoughts focused on the conversation he'd just had with his old friend. While he and the Meridicon hadn't known each other for long in the grand scheme of time - perhaps a total forty Meridian days between this visit and his previous one - they had developed a friendship strong enough for him to know that Pelz's attitude during their talk was anything but normal for him. In the span of only a few hours, his friend had shifted from entrepreneurial private detective to war veteran with the weight of all that experience pulling him downward in a spiral. The Doctor knew that feeling all too well, had seen it happen to himself. If it hadn't been for Rose Tyler's healing influence, he wasn't sure he still wouldn't be as angry with the universe as he had been. Pelz's emotional scars were deep, the Doctor realized, dating all the way back to the Meridian Civil War. The tortured he'd suffered at the hands of Mikon and his men were only the catalyst for the opening of old wounds. The Gallifreyan knew he needed to find a way to heal his old friend's spirit as well as his body.

In addition, there was the problem of Glad. She too was severely traumatized by the events in Mikon's mansion, though her emotional scars were not as deep as Pelz's. While warm drinks and biscuits were wonderful temporary solutions, they wouldn't alleviate the nightmares she'd been having. Glad needed somewhere she could feel comfortable, somewhere away from people for a while. She needed as much help as Pelz to recover from her own terrible experience.

As for Sam, he still had the problem of being trapped in Rose Tyler's life. They couldn't return to Earth for at least another couple of weeks, as Sam was still contagious with ZBI although that was likely to change soon. He would, even after he could no longer pass on the virus, need time to recover his health as the illness would leave him weak.

Reaching the console room, the Gallifreyan sat on the jumpseat, his eyes staring at nothing as he reviewed all of these thoughts. There was one more condition to the whole situation. They couldn't stay in the time vortex indefinitely. Maintaining stability in the vortex took a lot of power and he could sense the strain it was causing the TARDIS. They would need to land somewhere and soon.

After several minutes of thinking on the problem, the Time Lord stood up and moved to the console, walking around it as he set coordinates. He knew the perfect spot for his friends to recover, isolated from the rest of the universe and restful.

The TARDIS had just landed when Glad walked into the console room, looking as if she hadn't had a decent night's sleep in ages. The Doctor walked up to her and gently cupped her face before pulling her into a hug. "It will get better," he assured her.

She smiled. "I'm glad to be back on the TARDIS. I thought I'd never see her again."

"She's your home for as long as you want her to be," the Time Lord told her. Then, with a smile, he pulled back and looked at her. "I was thinking... how about a holiday? Somewhere quiet and peaceful. No people. Just the earth and the sky above us... and a tent. Definitely will need a tent."

"What about Sam?"

"Well, as long as he keeps a good twelve feet away from you... and he's within a quarantine field..." Seeing the look on her face, he explained, "He's still contagious. And the last thing you need right now is a bout of Zante's Bronchial Influenza."

"You mean if I get close to him I'll get sick?"

"Yes, you will," the Doctor answered her. "Remember? That was the reason I wouldn't let you into his room at all."

She nodded. "I guess I forgot."

"That's okay. Only natural." He started guiding her towards the outer doors.

As they moved towards them, she hesitated. "No people?"

"No people. Just some very friendly creatures."

She moved forward a little quicker, eager to see the new world the Doctor had brought her to.

They walked out into a verdant and lush world. In the distance were mountains. They weren't so far, though, that one couldn't see the waterfalls. "It's beautiful," she exclaimed. "What's the name of this planet?"

The Doctor grinned with genuine delight at her words. "Like it, I take it," he commented. "I'm afraid it doesn't have a name. It's my personal paradise. I don't think any other sentient creatures found it and I'm not about to give its whereabouts. Well, if someone did find it, I think they'd feel the same way that I do about it. I just decided that a place like this... well, it should just... be. We can... go for a hike, take a swim, smell the local flowers, play with the _jrulubees_... anything you want. Perfect little getaway spot. One of the few planets in the entire universe where one can literally get away from it all. And the only people within a hundred billion miles you will see are me, Sam, and..." He stopped, realizing that Glad didn't yet know the man they'd left at Mikon's house had returned. "... and Pelz," he finished, wondering how she would react to the news.

"Pelz? He was the man that you were afraid for?"

The Time Lord nodded slightly. "He made it back to the TARDIS but... he wasn't well. They hurt him. Almost killed him. But he found a way to escape."

She blinked. "I'm glad." When the Doctor looked at her strangely, she clarified. "That he got away not that he'd been hurt."

"Yeah," the alien agreed somberly. "Me too."

"So, this place... we're just going to stay here for awhile? No more traveling?"

The Gallifreyan took a deep breath. "Not for a while. I think it would be best for everyone to just... relax. Gain some serenity."

She smiled. "I'd like that." She bit her lower lip. "Is Pelz a nice man?"

"Most of the time," he answered, thinking about how the Meridicon had spoken to him before. "He's a bit... shaken right now. Like you."

"Were they trying to make him..." she queried at the comparison to herself.

"No. No, they didn't. They hurt him but for different reasons. Mikon wanted to know where I'd taken you and Pelz refused to tell them. They didn't like that."

"So he was protecting me?"

A gentle smile of gratitude came to the Doctor's features. "Yes. But it wasn't easy for him to handle in the end and he's still hurt from what they did to him, in every way... physically, mentally, and spiritually."

"I want to see him. Thank him for what he did. Arthur always told his knights how important it was to protect the weak. At least, that's what my father told me. What Pelz did was follow what Arthur said even if he couldn't have known our king."

The Gallifreyan thought about Glad's words for a moment, considering their value. At the very least, it would be a start to the healing process for both of them. "That's a good idea, my dear. But Pelz is sleeping at the moment. Perhaps in a few hours. In the meantime..." He gestured to the green pastures and trees around them. "Where do you want to go today? As long as it's fairly close to the TARDIS, you can go anywhere you like. Maybe we'll find a couple of_ jrulubees_."

"What are _jrulubees_?"

"Furry little things. Look sort of like tail-less mice but are a little bigger and have a lot more hair. Actually, more like a mix between a tail-less mouse and a hamster. Completely harmless and love to be petted. Thought about taking one as a pet but then I decided it wouldn't be fair to the _jrulubee_."

"A mouse? Those are awful! They get in your hay and grain and make an awful mess. That's why we had cat on the farm. To catch the horrid things."

"Right..." the Doctor murmured, realizing that the girl never would have thought of a mouse as a pet and had probably never even seen a hamster. "Well, _jrulubees _aren't about to get into your hay or grain and make an awful mess since there aren't any farms around here. They're really very timid creatures and they love to play."

"Well... maybe they'll be okay." Her eyes lit up. "Do you think we can go on that thing Sam told me about before he got sick?"

The Time Lord tucked his hands into his pocket, looking at her with questioning. "What thing was this?" he asked.

"He called it a 'picnic.'"

"A picnic!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Of course, we can go on a picnic! Throw together a few morsels in the kitchen, grab a basket and a blanket, pick a direction and just keep going until you find a nice little spot." He looked around. "I'm thinking by a lake or stream might be nice."

"That sounds wonderful." She looked at him shyly. "Can we even bring some of those cookies with the soft brown bits in them?"

"Chocolate chips. Sure. We can bring some biscuits... cookies... Whatever you want to call them." He took her hand. "Want to help me make lunch?"

She nodded and followed him into the kitchen.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The Doctor and Glad walked back towards the kitchen, the Time Lord briefly stopping to pick up a round plastic object as they went. Then, with basket, wine and Frisbee in hand, the two passed through the console room to exit the TARDIS. Glad stopped abruptly just as the Doctor was about to step out.

"Squee!" she exclaimed. "You kept him safe for me!" She picked up the rubber duck from the console and pressed it against her chest.

"Of course, I did," the Gallifreyan replied with a smile.

Returning the grin, Glad hurried to catch up with him, even more excited now that she was reunited with her favorite toy.

It was a good fifteen minutes before the Gallifreyan stopped, putting the basket a few feet from the edge of a crystalline stream. "So, what do you think?" he asked, a wide grin on his face.

She looked around. "It's beautiful."

"Isn't it?" he commented. "And just the right spot, I think. We can feed the _jrulubees_ if they show their furry little heads. By the way, they eat grass so don't try to feed them anything else." Pulling out the blanket, he opened it up and laid it out for them to sit on. Then, cross-legged, he started to pull out the meal. "Chicken, mashed _plarots_, barbeque crisps..." He smiled as he pulled out a couple of pieces of fruit. "Bananas," he announced.

"I like bananas," exclaimed Glad. She reached for one of the long yellow fruits.

"Aren't they brilliant?" the Doctor agreed before pulling the fruit away from her grasp. "Now, there is, of course, a rule." Hearing her sigh, he continued. "Finish the chicken and the _plarots_ first then you can have a banana and a biscuit. One biscuit."

"Just one?" In true dramatic fashion, she exclaimed, "I'm going to waste away."

"Oh, please!" the alien rolled his eyes, equally dramatically. "It isn't like you've already eaten enough sweets to feed an army for a month. Blimey, I forgot how difficult teenagers could be. Then again, it's been a while since..." He let the sentence drop as his thoughts moved to the children he once had.

"Since when?" Glad asked, picking up on his failure to continue the thought.

The Gallifreyan looked upon the girl with a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Since I had a child to raise," he finished.

"You had a child? A boy or a girl?" Her forehead furrowed. "Where are they?"

"Actually, several children," he replied. "Boys and girls." He swallowed tightly. "They're all gone now. Just me left."

"You've lost your entire family?" She gave him a shy smile. "I'm sorry. I know what that's like."

The Doctor returned the smile. "You still have your cousin," he told her, humor in his voice.

"No great loss there," she said, dismissing the thought.

He reached over to touch her hand. "Be glad that you have him. Even if you two don't see eye to eye. You never really appreciate what you have until you lose everything. Trust me. I know." Sniffing, he picked up his container of chicken and sauce, sticking a fork into a pre-cut piece before putting it in his mouth.

"I suppose," she said. "But you can't imagine how much of a rat he was." She started to eat as well. After swallowing her first bite, she asked him, "What were their names?"

The Doctor looked at her for a moment. "They're difficult to pronounce with the English language." Seeing her wait, he sighed and then said each of the five names, the words flowing delicately from his lips, his eyes haunted with the sound of them.

As she heard the names, she tried to recreate them, finding the Doctor was right about the pronunciation. When he was finished, she told him, "They are nice names. How old were they when they died?"

"Seven hundred sixty-three, Six hundred two, one hundred twenty-seven, seventy-six, and fifty-one. The last three were just kids when they died."

She pouted. "You're just teasing me."

He frowned at her words. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, for one thing, you're too young to have children _that _old. And more importantly, being that old is impossible. According to the priests, there were people long ago that got really old, but since then, no one does."

"Well, I'm not human. I don't age like a human does," he told her, chewing on some _plarots_ as he spoke. "And looks can be very deceiving."

"So you're saying that people from other planets don't live like humans do? I mean people people, not Dragons."

"The universe is teeming with life, Glad, and every species ages differently than the other. But, for a universe filled with all kinds of different species, the human form seems to have dominance. There are a lot of people out there that look human but aren't."

She furrowed her brow again and turned back to her meal. After eating a little more, she asked. "Is Sam human?"

The Doctor laughed gently. "Yes, Sam's human. He was just born in a different part of the world in a different century than you."

She smiled. "Okay. I just wondered." Her smile turned into a frown as she asked, "And the people that took me on that planet?"

The Time Lord shook his head. "No. Very similar but they weren't human. Neither is Pelz for that matter. So, don't get the idea that if they look human but aren't that they're bad people."

"You like him? The man who helped you find me?" she asked. She still wasn't sure about whom she could trust now. The Doctor and Sam she knew wouldn't hurt her, though.

"Yes, I do. He's my friend," he answered. "As I recall, he'd just turned fifty-six not long ago."

"Oh. I didn't really notice much about him." When she saw the Doctor's slight frown, she continued, "I was so scared. I really didn't notice much of anything. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Completely understandable," he assured her as he poured a glass of wine for both of them, knowing that she had drank wine before considering the time period she came from. "In any case, his species lives two hundred years. Fifty-six is the equivalent of about thirty years old in human terms."

She looked away. "When we left that... um... place..." she said uncomfortably, "...he stayed. I know he's your friend but why would he care what happened to me? He told you to take me away. Didn't he know what would happen to him?"

"He knew," the Doctor told her somberly.

She continued to not meet the Doctor's eyes. "They were terrible people especially that Mikon person. He told me what he was going to do with me." Tears started to trace down her face. "When I wouldn't, he said that after he got his _krekker's_ worth when he debuted me. He was going to..." She couldn't finish that sentence. "And then Mr. Pelz did what he did. You said he was almost killed. I wouldn't have been saved if he hadn't been there, would I have?"

The Gallifreyan hesitated, his glass of wine halfway to his lips. A haunted look filled his eyes as he lowered the glass. "I don't know," he admitted. "I probably would have found a different way of approaching the problem."

"I still want to thank him when I can."

"When we get back to the TARDIS." He took a breath and reached up to stroke her cheek. "The important thing is that you're safe now. No one can hurt you."

She looked at him. "Promise? You won't leave me again?"

The Time Lord looked upon her elfen features, unsure what exactly was going through her mind at that moment. He knew he couldn't make that promise, especially with her in her current mental state. Not that he would ever leave her deliberately. But he knew that there were times in his life when he had to leave someone he cared deeply for behind for their own good. Thoughts of Susan, his granddaughter whom Glad looked so much like, flitted through his mind, causing him to swallow tightly.

"Glad..." he started. "Sweet Galadriel... I can only promise that I will never..." He stopped, the last word he had said sounding far too dishonest to him. "...that I will be there when you truly need me."

Knowing that he was speaking from his hearts, Glad gave only a few moments thought before reaching over to hug him. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

The Gallifreyan returned the hug, a gentle smile on his face. "Pleasure, my child," he replied. Pulling back, he gestured towards the remaining food that waited for them. "So... want any more of these? Or shall I show you a lesson in aerodynamics and hand-eye coordination, otherwise known as Frisbee." Putting down his glass, he picked up the circular plastic disc and jiggled it.

"What's Frisbee?" she said wondering what on earth someone would do with such a brightly colored plate.

"This is a Frisbee," the Doctor told her, jiggling the disc again. "It's a toy." Seeing the incredulous look on her face, he continued. "Yeah, yeah, I know it looks like a plate. In fact, that's pretty much how the game came about. See, the Frisbie Pie Company... basically a bunch of bakers working together... sold these pies in tins to students... apprentices," he told her, changing his words as he spoke to help her understand the concept. "Well, these apprentices found out that they could throw these tins to each other. Lots of great exercise and fun. Eventually, this man named Warrenson - interesting fellow, by the way - he and a friend of his made plastic versions of the pie tins... like this!" He jiggled the toy a third time. "So... wanna try it?"

She looked at him skeptically. "How do you play?"

"Simple. I throw it to you, you catch it. You throw it to me, I catch it. Once you get the hang of the basics, then we go to more complicated things, like different ways to throw and catch."

She got up and looked around. "Am I supposed to stand somewhere?"

"Anywhere you want. But I would suggest away from the stream and out in the open," he told her. Standing, he offered her his hand. "Come on," he instructed, taking her hand and guiding her into the nearby field. "Oh, this is perfect!" he commented. Twirling the disc on one finger, he looked around. "Tell you what. Technique lesson." Popping the disc upwards, he caught it with a smile. "Very easy. Hold the disc like so, curl your arm around it. Then in a quick motion, move your arm out and let it go from your fingers." He did a light toss to show his point before running to retrieve it and then giving it to Glad. "Have a go," he told her.

She looked at it and tried to mimic the Doctor. Her technique wasn't as good and the disc wobbled a bit in flight before crashing to the ground. "It didn't work!" she exclaimed, her forehead creased.

"Now, don't worry about that. It was the first time you've ever thrown a disc. Bound to have a few stumbles. Still... better than I did the first time." He grimaced and then winked at her as he went to retrieve the disc. "Try it again," he instructed before getting behind her, letting his arm do the guiding. "Work on the motion first. Curl back, curl out." Seeing her nod at his instructions, he guided her arm back. "Now when I say, let go of the disc."

She nodded and positioned herself again. "Okay. Ready."

Quickly, he moved her arm forward, saying, "Let go!" at the same time.

This time the disc flew. "I did it!" she squealed happily.

"Yes, you did," he complimented. "Let's do that one more time," he instructed, retrieving the disc again. Giving her the toy, he stood behind her and wrapped her arm towards her again. "Ready?" he murmured. "Now, you're going to aim for that tree on the far end. You won't get near it but it's your focus. Follow your eyes down your arm to the disc. Make the supposition about when you need to release the disc." Seeing the anxiety in her face, he gave her a genuine smile. "You're brilliant, Glad. You can do this in your sleep. Like... guiding the chickens into their house on your father's farm. It's all just strategy."

She smiled at him and then consciously did exactly what he told her. When the disc took flight, she reached around and hugged him again. "I can do it. It's easy."

"Told you! Simple as can be! Now, here comes the other part. The catching." He nodded towards the disc. "Your turn to play Rover." Noting the frown on her face, he told her. "Go pick up the disc and toss it to me from there. Watch how I catch it."

"Why Rover?"

The Doctor ran his hand through his hair. "It's... well... it's just a euphemism for retrieving something. And a very bad one at that. One I really shouldn't have used."

"I don't know. I guess I am roving a little to get the thing." She ran over to retrieve the disk and threw it perfectly to him.

The Doctor caught the disc easily. "Well... if you want to get into the technical meaning of the word, you would be correct. Did you notice how I caught that? Try to emulate what I did." He tossed it back towards her.

She ran towards the Frisbee, but instead of catching it, it hit her. "Ow!" she complained.

The Gallifreyan winced. "Umm... let the disc go to you," he told her. "You only want to go towards it if it looks as if it will fail to reach you on its own."

"Okay," she said simply, rubbing her head before throwing it back to him.

The Doctor took several steps back, caught it, and gently tossed it back. This time the girl from Camelot easily caught it. She smiled and threw it back.

The two tossed the disc back and forth for a little bit before the Doctor gave Glad a mischievous smile. "Let's make things more interesting," he said, taking several steps back before throwing the disc a little harder and towards Glad's right, forcing the girl to chase after the toy in order to catch it. She giggled as she ran. Retrieving the disc, she threw it back. "Come on, Glad! Show me what you've got!" he taunted, catching it with ease, even if he had to move to do so. Throwing it back towards her, he chuckled slightly as she barely caught the disc.

As they threw the Frisbee, Glad was showing the same carefree joy she had when he'd met her. She ran up and down the field chasing after the brightly colored disk. One throw went high, forcing the Doctor to jump to catch it. When he did, though, he found that Glad's throwing arm was much stronger than he had anticipated and he found himself landing hard on his back with a loud grunt.

She ran to him. "Are you ok? You're not hurt, are you?"

The Time Lord giggled, looking up at her concerned face. "Blimey, you've got an arm!"

"I've got two of them," she said confused.

"I mean you're a very strong girl," the Doctor clarified, still lying on the grass, Frisbee in hand. "I think you turned my hand red with that throw. Fantastic!"

"I like Frisbee," she said with a grin.

"Oh, I can see you are going to be a football fan for sure," he told her, jumping up to his feet. "Proper football, I mean. Not American football. Though, you might like that as well. Lots of running in both of them." He glanced over her attire and noted that it had several grass stains on it from where she hadn't quite caught the Frisbee, landing on her derriere. "And I can see that laundry is on order for tonight." He tossed the Frisbee into the air and then caught it again. "Ready for more? Or would you rather get a drink and a biscuit?"

She nodded. "I'm thirsty and cookies... I mean biscuits are always good."

"You can call them cookies if you want. I just spend too much time in Britain." He glanced over towards the stream. "In fact... I think a swim also. Something to cool you down." He noted the ring of perspiration on her shirt. "Definitely something to cool you down. And hydrate you. So, no more wine for you." Grabbing her hand, he led her back to their picnic site, pulling out two glasses before going to the stream and filling the cups. Bringing them back, he gave one to her and sat down again.

"It's just what Sam calls them," Glad explained. "He told me how his mother used to bake them and he and family would have them hot from the oven with milk. He made it sound so nice."

"Oh, warm biscuits are the best, especially with milk," the Doctor agreed, drinking the water in his glass and nibbling on a chocolate chip he had teased out of the cookie. "Rose's mum makes pretty good biscuits herself." He stopped as he realized what he had said. "Hadn't thought of that," he murmured.

"Hadn't thought of what?"

"Rose's mum," he answered somberly. "She's gone. When Sam's done in Rose's life and Rose returns, I'll have to explain that to her. That'll likely happen soon... I hope."

Glad looked puzzled. "Sam's going to leave? I thought you like him and he likes us? I don't want him to leave."

"It's inevitable, Glad. According to him, him being in Rose's life is a temporary thing in order for him to put something right that went wrong. When that's done, he leaves. It's not a matter of whether or not he likes us and we like him. And I terribly miss my friend." He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm worried about her."

She looked at him, empathy tinging her words. "I'm sorry. I didn't know how much she meant to you."

"She's my best friend," he replied before finishing his water. "She'll return when Sam leaves but when she does... she won't have her mum."

Glad sighed. "I know how that is. Mine went to heaven when I was ten."

The Doctor swallowed at her words, nodded in sympathy. "Mine died when I was sixty-five. I was just a kid."

"How can you be a kid at sixty-five? That's really old where I come from."

"I'm not human, remember?" he told her, lying on the ground as he bit into another cookie. "My people lived a very long life. Thirteen of them, in fact."

"Like a cat only longer."

"Much longer than a cat," the Doctor agreed. "Felines don't live as long as humans. My people lived thousands of years."

Glad smiled at him. "They say that Merlin was born very old and he's been getting younger. He's the only one I know of that has lived over 70 years."

The Time Lord grinned at her comment. "Well, he only seems that way because he's a quarter Time Lord. He was actually born a child and is growing older. He just takes longer than the average human. Based on how old he was when we met him, I'd say he lived another two hundred years afterwards. Just a blink of an eye for a Time Lord."

Glad considered that. "So how old are you then? Like 10,000 years old or something?"

He frowned at her words. "Oi! Not that old!" he protested.

"Then _how _old?" she asked.

"One thousand one hundred thirty six," he answered truthfully. Leaning in, he whispered, "But if anyone asks, I'm nine hundred and one."

She laughed. "That's prideful."

"Well..." He shrugged slightly. "Maybe a little. Could be worse. I could say I'm thirty-seven. I look thirty-seven. At least in this regeneration, I do."

"You do look young. Papa would say you hold your age well."

He grinned widely at her words. "Thank you!" He finished off another cookie, slapping Glad's hand gently as she reached for another. "You already had two," he told her.

She sighed and the provided a sardonic grin. "Yeah, but if I eat them we don't need to carry any back."

"We still have to carry the basket and the blanket back. I don't think a handful of cookies will much affect the weight." Nonetheless, he grabbed a fifth cookie and bit into it.

"That's not fair!" she cried out. "Why do you get more cookies than I do?"

"Because my body can absorb complex carbohydrates better than yours can," he answered, his mouth full. Finishing the sweet treat, he reached into the basket for the last one. "Still..." He gave her a hint of a smile. "You did do a lot of running today." He offered the cookie to her. "Just remember. These are treats. Not to be eaten with every meal."

Glad grabbed the cookie and bit greedily into it. Her mouth around the cookie, she remembered to thank him, managing to say, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he told her, a fatherly look in his eyes. Leaning back with his hands under his head, he stared up at the sky. "I suppose we should go back and check on Sam and Pelz."

"Doctor, is Sam an angel?" Glad asked around the cookie in her mouth.

"No, he's human, like I told you before. Why do you think he might be an angel?"

"You said he would put something right that went wrong. Isn't that what an angel does?"

"No, that's what overambitious time travelers who don't really understand what they are doing to the timeline do, even if they have the best of intentions."

"The priests say you can sin even if you don't know it's a sin. Is Sam doing something wrong when he sets things right then?"

"I don't know if it's a sin or not. I don't believe in sins. At least not in the religious aspect you are referring to. But changing history when you don't know what you are doing is dangerous. It can unravel the very fabric of the universe." He took a deep breath. "He's lucky he hasn't caused damage to space-time given how long he's been traveling through time and interfering with the order of things with such limited understanding of the universe."

"Maybe he's being helped by someone that has that understanding of the universe. The priests tell us we can pray for God's help and, if it's in his plans, it will happen even if it isn't how we expect it. Could that be?"

"I seriously doubt it," the Doctor contradicted. He noted the questioning in her eyes. "I have yet to see definite proof of any sort of divine intervention or even the existence of the truly divine."

"I haven't either... at least not that I could say for certain. The priests say that's why we must have faith." She paused. "I had faith that if I prayed you'd come for me, you would... and you did, even if it didn't happen the way I thought it would."

"Now, I didn't say I didn't believe in faith," the Time Lord stated, picking up the wine he'd left previously to finish it. "But just because you have faith in a person, that doesn't mean that person is an angel being guided by some mystical entity."

"Well, I've never met a man that existed in the body of a woman before, even if my cousin liked to dress that way, so I think maybe if Sam hasn't destroyed the universe when you say it could have happened there must be a good reason."

"There is such thing as luck," the Doctor pointed out.

"How long has he been doing this?"

"I have no idea. Several years, according to him. Even he isn't sure how long he's been leaping through time."

"Then he must be extremely lucky," she said finishing her cookie with a flourish.

The Doctor grinned at the expression on her face. "You know, I don't think I have ever seen anyone eat a biscuit with such voraciousness as you." He tilted his head towards the stream. "We could... come back for a dip after we clean up from the picnic."

"A dip?"

"Swimming," the Doctor clarified. "Putting on appropriate attire, getting into the water, and moving around in it."

"I don't know how to swim," she said with some fear in her voice.

He looked at her for a moment. "That's right. Not a lot of people knew how to swim in the Middle Ages. You told me that before, didn't you?" Sitting up, he turned to her. "Not to worry. I'll teach you today, as promised. Oh, you'll love it!"

She looked askance at him. "I'm not sure it's a good idea to do that."

He reached over and took her hand gently. "Scared?"

She nodded.

"It's okay to be scared. But I can guarantee that you won't be after you've learned. In fact, if you feel better about it, we can do the lessons in the TARDIS before we go out into the lake. Would you like that? Learn in the pool in the TARDIS, like I said before?"

"How deep is the pool?" she asked.

"The shallow end is only three feet. The deep end is ten feet," he told her honestly. "We'll be in around seven feet. And I'll be there to make sure nothing happens to you."

She looked nervous again. "Can't we stay in the three feet?"

"You can't learn to swim in three feet of water. But we can start there and move in deeper gradually." Seeing the fear in her eyes, he scooted over to put his arm around her. "Glad, I want you to understand something. The reason I want you to learn how to swim is because I care about you. Swimming is not only fun but it can also save your life someday. I just want you to be safe." He brushed her hair from her forehead.

She gave a small smile. "Okay. I know you wouldn't have me do anything that would hurt me."

He returned the smile. "Okay," he repeated gently before suddenly standing up to gather their belongings. "And I have just the swimsuit for you. Mind you, you'll feel as if you are completely naked for what you are used to, but, trust me, it's easier to swim in a swimsuit than in a full outfit. Not impossible, just easier." Reaching down with his hand, he helped her to her feet. "Don't forget the Frisbee," he told her. Assured that she retrieved the toy, the two walked hand in hand back to the TARDIS, the basket in his hand.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The rest of the day went by at a leisurely pace. The Doctor started teaching Glad how to swim, an activity she quickly discovered she liked very much. After her first lesson, the Gallifreyan insisted that she continue her studies in reading and writing English, with the promise that, once she had mastered that skill, he would teach her how to read, write, and speak other languages.

Leaving Glad to her studying, he went to the infirmary, checking the latest results on the progress of the ZBI. Smiling, he immediately went to Sam's room, amused at the expression of boredom on the leaper's face. "Tired of the decor?" he questioned as he ran the sonic screwdriver over him, pleased with the verification the sonic was giving for Sam's condition.

"Huh?" Sam asked. "I've gotten used to the decor. Definitely a girl's room but that's to be expected."

"Wouldn't you rather have something more... green?"

"Why? You planning to redecorate before Rose returns? You might want to rethink that. Change anything and you may never hear the end of it."

"Nah, I like Rose's room just the way it is. I just thought you might like a change of scenery," the Doctor told him. "You know... sunlight, trees, big blue lake to swim in..."

Sam tilted his head. "I can get out of here? What about the ZBI?"

The Time Lord quirked a smile at him. "I was looking at the most recent test results on your current situation and I discovered something rather amazing, especially considering the disease you have in your system."

"Well, don't keep me in the dark. What did you discover?" Sam asked when the Doctor didn't continue.

"Well... it really is quite remarkable but... you're no longer contagious, which by all rights shouldn't be possible considering where and when you come from."

"Huh?" Sam stated. "Well, if I'm being sprung..." He got up and walked to the door stepping out and noticing there was no field with him. "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last."

The Doctor gave him a slight grin. "I'm sure that Martin really wasn't talking about you no longer being in quarantine when he said that." Noting the tray on the nightstand, he picked it up and started towards the door, Sam following him out.

"Probably not," Sam answered the Gallifreyan's observations, "but it sure expresses my feelings right now. You know, I actually met his great-grandfather once during a leap."

"I thought you can only travel through time within your own lifetime."

"Usually that's true but we found out on that leap that I can travel along my family's DNA. That was a surprise, let me tell you. Found myself in the middle of the Battle of Manassas during the American Civil War. Learned pretty quickly that war is definitely hell."

"That is the understatement of the universe," the Time Lord murmured.

"I was shot in the arm. My great-grandmother ended up being the one to nurse me back to health." He walked into the kitchen with the Doctor, watching him put the dirty tray in to wash before taking down another plate. "I thought you just went on a picnic?"

"We did. However, one person aboard hasn't yet had anything to eat and the TARDIS has given me the impression that he's hungry." He proceeded to place portions of the remains of the picnic on the plate before putting them in a microwave to reheat them.

"Another person aboard? Another female I assume?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow as he pulled the plate from the microwave and place it on a tray before drawing some water from the faucet and placing the filled glass with the plate. "Why do you assume that my friend is a female? I don't just have female friends, you know."

"I know... Harry was your friend as was Jack, Lewis Carroll, the Beatles... and you apparently got along just fine with the Pharaohs. But... well... you've apparently been with Rose Tyler a long time and you brought Glad on board. Why wouldn't I think your current friends are mostly female?"

There was a pause from the alien as he thought about his words. "Well, they're not. I did have Mickey aboard for a while, didn't I?"

"I have no idea," Sam responded, not knowing who this Mickey whom the Gallifreyan had referred to.

"Well, I did. So, no. Not all of my friends are female."

"Fine. Who is this new person?"

"Pelz," the Time Lord replied, picking up the tray and carrying it out the kitchen.

"Pelz. That's it? One word name... like Madonna or Cher?" Sam questioned as he followed him out.

"Not exactly. He just doesn't like his given name so he goes by his surname."

"Okay. So why is he here? Decided that there's another soul you just have to show the universe too?"

The Time Lord didn't answer for a long moment. "He's recovering... and I owe him my medical expertise."

"Recovering? From what? Did he get ZBI too?"

"Fractured leg and arm, minor skull fracturing, broken ribs, severe bruising, and some minor internal bleeding." The words were said with such solemnity that the guilt in the Doctor's tone was almost tangible.

Sam stopped in his tracks. "What the hell happened to him? What did you do? Land the TARDIS on him?"

The Doctor immediately stopped and turned on the leaper, his brown orbs dark with fury at the accusation. "He was beaten nearly to death after he provided a means of escape for Glad and me. Told me to get her out of that evil place... and I did. Left him there to deal with what I should have done myself. So excuse me if I do not appreciate your rather disturbing sense of humor."

Sam blinked. "That's how you got Glad out of the brothel," he stated rather than questioned.

"That's how I got Glad out of the brothel," the Gallifreyan repeated as a confirmation. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have a patient to attend to." He turned to continue his journey to Pelz's bedroom.

"Maybe I can help," Sam said catching up with the Gallifreyan. "I'm sorry I was being flippant. I didn't know."

The Time Lord didn't respond verbally, neither giving the human physician a pardon on his unknowing crassness nor rejecting his offered assistance. Arriving at the Meridicon's bedroom, he gave a brief knock before opening the door. He entered the room immediately, putting on a smile for his friend. "Brought you something to eat."

Pelz turned his gaze from the ceiling to the Time Lord. "I'm not hungry."

"Yes, you are," the Doctor contradicted, putting the tray on the nightstand.

"Why do you always do that? Think you're right and everyone else is wrong? I think I know whether I'm _fliinking _hungry or not."

The Doctor closed his eyes for a moment, obviously hurt by Pelz's words, before meeting his eyes. "I know you don't have an appetite. I understand that. But you haven't eaten in almost twenty-four hours and the last time you did eat it was in a pub and it mostly consisted of beer and _prizlo _nuts. You need to eat."

The Meridicon looked away, clearly uninterested in accommodating the Gallifreyan's wishes.

Sam had stood back not wanting to intrude. Now he walked in seeing the war of emotions in both men which was resulting in a stalemate that was causing pain on both sides. He smiled. "Hello, Mr. Pelz."

Pelz frowned at being addressed, turning to see who had spoken. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Rose Tyler. The Doctor has asked me to be your nurse. Perhaps we could visit and your appetite might come back?"

"Sam..." the Doctor murmured under his breath, not wanting the leaper to interfere with something that, in his opinion, was a personal matter.

"I don't need a nurse," Pelz grumbled, not having heard the Doctor's mutter and still being recalcitrant. However, he did glance over at the woman.

Sam tilted his head and gave the Gallifreyan a look of incredulity before continuing to speak to the broken man. "From what I understand of your injuries, it will take some time to heal. I can assure you I'm quite competent."

The Meridicon looked to the Doctor - who seemed a little befuddled by the situation - and then back at the woman. "I guess it would mean I don't have to be around _him _as much."

"Well, as a nurse I still need to follow his treatment plan. He has your best interest at heart even if you don't believe it at the moment."

"Whatever," Pelz grumbled. "The sooner I'm out of his damned box and as far from him as possible, the better."

Gritting his teeth in frustration, the Time Lord swallowed tightly. "As you wish," he murmured. Turning, he left the room quickly, plainly hurt by his friend's words.

Sam watched the Doctor storm off knowing that his friend was going to need a ear to bend when he was ready. The Meridicon was obviously a person who he felt he owed but the leaper suspected that things went deeper between them. He put on his game face and turned to the man he'd just met. "I understand you haven't eaten in awhile. I had some of this earlier. Quite tasty," he said as he helped Pelz to sit up and preparing a spot to place the tray.

"I said I'm not hungry," the detective grumbled.

"I thought you said you want to get out of here. Can't heal broken bones without good food."

A grunt escaped the patient's lips. "Will my eating this _jrevbu_ get you to go away?"

"For awhile, yes." When the man started to take a bite, he added, "but I will be back. I only want you to get better." He paused. "There's apparently some bad blood between you and the Doctor. I'm not a part of that. Surely you can let me help you."

"You wanna help me? Keep him out." The Meridicon focused on the tray in front of him, realizing just how hungry he really was when he took his first bite. He seemed intent on eating everything on the plate as quickly as possible.

Sam was glad to see the man finally eating. Knowing that he would need to gain his trust he answered, "If you continue to do what you need to heal, I don't see why he will need to come in as often."

Pelz gave another grunt, obviously preferring to finish his lunch rather than talk to the nurse.

"The Doctor told me what you did. Glad is my friend. It was a selfless act and I appreciate having her back."

"Well, someone needed to take care of the girl."

"Yes, but as someone who's had to deal with the aftermath of... well... it's understood just what you saved her from."

"Just did what was right," the Meridicon answered, chewing on the last bite.

"You'd be amazed at how many people look the other way rather than do what's right."

"Tell me about it," he grumbled sarcastically, his eyes going to the door where the Doctor had exited.

Sam could help notice the direction of the man's gaze. He wasn't sure what had transpired between the two men short of the small bit of information the Gallifreyan had provided. He suspected based on the emotional pain they had exhibited though that it must have been significant and was likely caused by more than just the beating. One didn't offer to help someone like that, at least most of the time, unless there was more than just an altruistic desire. Or unless GFTW put you in the position that you had to help someone even if you didn't particularly want to. He doubted the latter was the situation with Pelz. And definitely not the Doctor based on his suspicion of his work.

"How do you know the Doctor?"

The detective gave the leaper a glare. "Apparently, I don't. And I don't want to talk about him either. You want to be my nurse? Fine. Don't mind a good looking girl taking care of me. But the Time Lord is off the approved conversation list. Got it?"

"Got it." Sam decided on another approach. "What do you do on your planet?"

"I'm a private detective," Pelz answered, pushing the tray away from him now that it was empty of foodstuff.

Sam took the tray and put it to the side. "I knew a private detective once. Dangerous work. Sometimes you don't know for sure who you can trust and a small mistake can be fatal."

"You got that right." Again, Pelz's eyes were drawn to the door.

"I spent some time with that PI. He told me some stories. Maybe you can tell me some of yours. Like why you decided to go into that line of work?"

"Maybe later. I hope you don't mind, but I'm tired."

"I don't doubt it. Healing saps a lot of energy."

Pelz was quiet for a moment. "You're easy to talk to. You'll be back with dinner later?"

"Yeah. In a few hours." He helped the man back down, fluffing his pillow and straightening his covers. "Get some sleep now. I'll be back.

"Okay. Thanks." Then the Meridicon closed his eyes, his face much more serene than it had been earlier.

Sam took the tray back to the kitchen. He found the Doctor at the table drinking tea. "Pelz ate his lunch."

Hearing Sam's words, the Gallifreyan raised his head from his mug. "And that justifies it all, doesn't it."

"If I hadn't done what I did, he'd probably still be stubbornly refusing to eat. I thought you want him to get better."

The alien ran his hand over his face. "I do want him to get better. But I don't need a nurse taking over my duties."

"You do with him," Sam stated simply. When the Doctor raised his eyes to Sam's, the leaper continued. "I bet the two of you have been friends. Good friends. Something's happened and it wasn't just what went down in saving Glad. Right?"

The Gallifreyan deflated at the question. "I didn't prevent him from being hurt."

"You think that's all this is?"

"It was the start of it. From there, it spiraled downward."

"Pretty deep spiral. Looks to me like the chute never opened."

"The chute definitely hasn't opened yet, that's for certain. Hope it does soon, though." The Time Lord grimaced. "Painful at the bottom."

"No kidding. Leapt in once skydiving. Traumatic injuries. Was there to help the physical therapist," Sam mused. "But back to Pelz. I think at his core, he wants it to open too. He's just in denial about it."

"Yeah." The Doctor turned back to his tea. "I know he does. I want to help him but he won't let me. He won't listen. I understand the problem from his point of view. I really do. But he refuses to see it from my point of view. It's like talking to an Auton. Don't bother with trying to negotiate. Just open up your gun hand and shoot at anything that moves."

"You've just got to give him time. You know I'll be able to provide the care he needs." He paused. "If you try to do it any other way, it'll be like picking at a wound and he may heal bodily but not the other way. I assume you want both results."

"Given the circumstances, I don't see any other alternative. Keep in mind that he isn't human, though. He's a Meridicon. Different internal organs."

"I have an eidetic memory. If you have a book or other data on Meridicon physiology, I can get the gist. If there's a problem I can't handle, I'll bring you in. I warned him that would be necessary under certain conditions."

"The books in the the pool library, far wall, third shelf up."

Sam nodded. He put a hand on the Gallifreyan's shoulder. "I know you'd rather this be handled differently. I wish that was possible too." He then turned to leave the kitchen.

"Sam," the Doctor called out, stopping his exit. "Thank you." Quickly finishing his tea, he stood up. "I better check on Glad. She's supposed to be practicing her reading."

The leaper smiled. "It's what friends do. Tell Glad I expect her to read a story to me. Her choice."

"Oh, she'll love that," he agreed, exiting the kitchen with Sam before going his own way in search of the teenager.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The next few days, the inhabitants of the TARDIS fell into a set routine. Sam continued to nurse Pelz back to physical health, hoping their conversations would help the man in other ways. The Doctor, on the other hand, spent more time with Glad, helping her with her academic and giving swimming lessons. There was only one time when Sam had to call on the Gallifreyan for a consultation with treatment for Meridicon physiology when the Pelz had a bout of gastronomical distress that resembled human appendicitis at first glance. The Time Lord had handled the examination professionally, happy to see that Pelz accepted his presence, even though it was also clear that the detective didn't feel comfortable with him yet.

The Doctor, having taken some time for himself, decided to spend an afternoon in one of his libraries. He was well entrenched in reading a short story by Charles Dickens when Glad came in, a ponderous look on her face.

"Doctor?" she interrupted gently.

The Gallifreyan lowered his book, pulling his glasses from his face and smiling at the girl. "Galadriel. What can I do for you?"

"I was thinking about what happened... in that house. How you saved me."

"Not a surprise. You have every right to be a little preoccupied with it."

"No. It's not that. Not exactly. Whatever you did to knock out the guard."

"It wasn't easy," he admitted, rubbing his eye as he remembered the feel of the guard's fist hitting the eye socket.

"Maybe not, but it worked. I want you to teach me how to do that. I'd ask Sam to teach me how to knock someone out with my foot but he's too busy right now."

"You want to learn Venusian aikido?" The Gallifreyan scratched his eyebrow with his index finger.

"If that's what you call it." She looked down. "When Kelb took me in the market, I couldn't stop him. I couldn't do anything when Mlark took me to the house. I couldn't even try to stop them from hurting me there. I just want to feel like I could do something to protect myself."

The Doctor's eyes softened at her words, his hearts aching slightly with her. "All right," he agreed. "I'll teach you what I know. Venusian aikido, Martian karate... Three Stooges defensive strategies."

"Weren't the Three Stooges those three guys that hit each other?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

"Yes. Yes, they were. And very effective at it they were."

"Sam said they weren't really hurting each other. He said they were just very good at pretending."

"Yeah, but if it were reality, it would be quite effective. Sort of."

"Oh. So you can pretend things and it can still protect you?"

"If you pull it off well, sure. Still... better to have a back-up plan." Standing up, he tossed his book onto the chair he'd just vacated and extended his hand for her to take. "So... self-defense? No time like the present to learn."

Once Pelz had learned to trust his nurse, Sam decided it was time to take the man outdoors for fresh air and sunshine. He figured the spectacular views of the mountains would be good as well giving Pelz something other than the interior of theTARDIS to focus on. He'd been concerned at first with the wheels of the chair getting stuck since there weren't any trails or surfaces to allow it to move freely. The Doctor had solved that problem with providing an all terrain model that he'd stored in one of the many rooms.

"All right. Time for a change of scenery. Let's get you into the chair so we can go outside."

"Outside?" The Meridicon shook his head. "I can't go out there."

"Why not?"

"Last I heard this box was in something called a time vortex. I don't think being in any vortex is a good idea."

"I have to agree with you there. Still better to travel in a TARDIS than without one," he answered cryptically. "But we've been out of the vortex for almost a week. The planet we're on is spectacular."

"We're on another planet?" Pelz questioned with a slight frown. Gaining a confirming nod, he shrugged. "Fine with me." He allowed the pretty woman to help him into the wheelchair and relaxed as best as he could. "Show me this spectacular planet."

Sam smiled and he started to push him through the TARDIS

"Sam!" Glad cried out as she ran towards him from the other side of the hall. Ignoring the man in the wheelchair, she quickly moved to give the leaper a hug.

"Hi, Glad," the leaper greeted with a smile. "I don't think you've properly met our most recent traveler."

"Sam?" Pelz asked confused.

"It... um... means nurse in her language," Sam responded, giving her a look that told her to go along with his story.

"No, it..." she started before being warned by Sam's gaze. She sighed dramatically at his non-verbal insistence of following his lead. "I know Mr. Pelz. He helped the Doctor rescue me.

"I'm glad we were able to help you. I only wish we'd been able to help the others there as well," the Meridicon said sadly.

"Maybe when we go back we can," she suggested. She noticed the direction they were headed. "Are you going outside?"

"Yes. Fresh air is the prescription for today. You want to come with us?"

"You wanna go swimming?" Glad exclaimed. "Or we could play Frisbee!"

"Since Mr. Pelz can't do either at the moment, why don't we just make daisy chains... or whatever you call that type of flower here."

"Sounds good to me," she agreed.

"Go let the Doctor know where you're going and tell him I said it would be all right for you to go."

She frowned slightly at Sam's choice of words but didn't comment, going to obey his instructions. She found him in the lab working on some new compound. "Sam told me to let you know I'm going out with Mr. Pelz and him. He's acting so strange. When I called out to him he told Mr. Pelz that 'Sam' meant nurse in my language. Why would he do that?"

The Gallifreyan didn't turn from his work and seemed to catch only the last part of what she had said. "Pelz thinks Sam is Rose, doesn't know about the aura around him."

"Like in Chicago? Why doesn't he just explain it to him like he did with Uncle Harry and Aunt Sally?"

Realizing that the girl wasn't going to let up on her questioning and, as a result, he wasn't going to be able to concentrate on his experiment, he let out a slightly annoyed breath. Turning towards her, he removed his glasses. "Pelz is... well, he's a bit fragile at the moment, both mentally and physically. I don't think that he would have as much trust in Sam at the moment if he knew that his nurse wasn't the person he sees in front of him."

"Oh. So I should call Sam 'Rose' now?"

"Only around Pelz until either Sam or I tell you otherwise, yes."

She shrugged. "Okay. Anyway, can I go?"

"Go where?" he questioned with a frown.

"Outside. Aren't you listening?"

"I was a bit distracted the first time. Why would you need permission to go outside? Perfectly safe as far as I know."

"I don't know but Sam said I needed to let you know I was going out and he told me to say that he says it's all right to go with them."

"Why wouldn't it be all right for you to go out with them?"

"That's what I said. I mean I shouldn't have to ask, right? You said there wasn't anything on the planet that could hurt me."

The Gallifreyan blinked for a moment, thinking through the conversation as it was so far. It took only a moment for him to realize that Sam's message via Glad was to let him know that the leaper felt Pelz's recovery had progressing to where he believed the Meridicon would be well-behaved around the teenager. "Right. Well... I suppose it's all right for you to go with them since Sam thinks it would be okay."

She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "You're both acting so strange."

"Sorry. Anyway, go on. Have a good time. Play in the grass. Eat wild berries."

"Fabs. See you later!"

"You've been listening to the TARDIS' recordings again!" he shouted towards her as she hurried out of the room. "You sound like Dodo!"

When she got back to the console room, she found the two patiently waiting for her. Giving Sam a nod, she led the way out of the ship and into the spacious valley that was their current, albeit temporary, home. "Isn't it groovy?" she exclaimed to Pelz, a broad grin on her face.

"Groovy? Geez, I haven't heard that in awhile," Sam commented.

"What does the word mean?" the Meridicon questioned with slight confusion.

"I don't know. Some lady that used to travel in the TARDIS said it though and I think it sounds... groovy," the girl replied.

"It means... neat... um... cool... brilliant... da bomb," Sam listed.

"A bomb? Aren't those dangerous? Like the ones in those films you showed me?"

"Not in this sense. It means... well... groovy."

"I get the gist," Pelz put in, stopping the circular logic of the conversation. "It's a colloquialism for something that is worthy of appreciation."

"Yeah. That," Sam agreed. "I never realized how many words used that way are also synonyms." When Glad looked at him strangely, he clarified, "The words can mean more than one thing."

"Oh. I was thinking that you meant all these words having the same meaning."

"That too."

Finding a meadow, a short distance from the TARDIS, Sam set the lock on Pelz's wheels and then started to gather flowers to make the chains. When he saw that Glad couldn't hold as much flowers as she wanted in her hands, Pelz offered to act as a repository while they went to pick more. None of them noticed that the Doctor had stepped out of the time ship and was watching them from a distance, a gentle and relieved smile on his lips.

Over a period of time, the Time Lord slowly moved closer to the group, keeping out of sight as much as possible. At one point, he watched with interest as Sam decided to sneak up on Glad. The leaper put his finger to his lips to let Pelz know to be quiet. He moved silently behind her to give her a slight fright the way he had with Katie so many years before. As he touched her, he was shocked to find himself flying through the air, landing on his back with her standing over him in a martial arts stance. Having the air knocked out of him, he could only stare. The Gallifreyan held back a laugh. He was pulled out of his own amusement by a sound he hadn't thought he'd hear again.

The Meridicon, seeing the stunned expression on Rose's face, laughed heartily. "She got you good."

Sam pulled himself up. "Yeah. When did you learn how to do that?" he asked.

"Two days ago," she replied, straightening herself to stand normally. Her tone showed she was blatantly pleased with herself. "The Doctor says I'm a natural."

"No kidding," Sam replied. "You're going to have to show me that again. I don't think I've ever seen that technique before."

"Of course not, silly. It's Verizon."

"A cell phone?"

The Time Lord stifled a chuckle at Sam's misunderstanding.

Pelz shook his head. "Venusian aikido."

The Doctor, knowing his friend had seen him use the technique multiple times during his last visit to the man's planet, realized that the anger that had been aimed at him was absent from his tone.

"Yeah, that's it," Glad confirmed. "From the planet Venus, which the Doctor told me is the second planet from our sun. He taught me the names of all the planets in our solar system."

"He does know a lot." Pelz paused as if recalling something from long ago. "I remember he was able to figure out how to shut out the launch codes on the warheads in a matter of minutes. He saved my world from the maniacs that hated each other so much that they'd destroy everyone else if they couldn't have things their way." The words were spoken not with worship or derision but simply stating a fact. "When all they had left was projectile hand weapons, the horror of it all came crashing down on everyone. It took awhile but eventually no one wanted to fight anymore after that. The war ended. And then he made sure all sides stayed at the negotiation table until an armistice was declared."

"You were a soldier?" Sam asked, gently.

"A resistance fighter. Mostly stole food and basic necessities and gave it to those who needed it."

"It must have been horrible. War always is."

"Yeah," Pelz murmured, gazing at his hands as if remembering the blood that had been on them then. He cleared his throat and pointed to the flowers on his lap. "You know I love flowers but I'm going to start growing roots if someone doesn't make something out of these soon."

Glad went over to retrieve them and laid them on the ground next to the chair before leaning in to give Pelz a hug. "Thank you. I've been wanting to tell you that. I'm sorry you were hurt."

Returning the hug, Pelz responded, "I wish that you didn't have to see the ugliness that some of my people have resorted to. It didn't used to be like that when I was young. We were a good people then."

She pulled away and looked into his eyes. "You're still good."

"She's right. You are," the Doctor said, tentatively moving into the group, not sure how the Meridicon would react.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

When the Time Lord joined them suddenly, Pelz's wasn't at all sure how he felt about it. His head snapped to look at the Time Lord. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough," the Gallifreyan admitted, tucking his hands into his trouser's pockets. "I wanted to see how you were coping but I wasn't sure how receptive you would be to my presence."

"I guess it's all right," he provided neutrally.

"You're upset with the Doctor..." Glad seemingly asked.

"It's a long story."

"No. It's just been a long journey," Glad responded as if seeing something she hadn't before.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her words, unsure what she meant by them. He'd always known that there was something about the peasant girl he'd rescued from an unfulfilled life in the realm of King Arthur but this surpassed anything that he had seen in her before. He'd gotten to know Glad well enough to distinguish the different nuances of her speech, enough to know that her words had nothing to do with her own experiences. He was prevented from commenting, however, by Pelz's terse response.

"How would you know?" Pelz asked, sharper than he'd meant. It wasn't the girl's fault that her looks were perfect for use by the human traffickers on his planet, thus leading to the condition he was currently in. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound harsh. You've certainly experienced enough harshness from my people."

"But they aren't your people," Glad said simply. "You despise them as much as I do. The people in that house. The people that sell things not theirs. All those people that didn't learn from the war and don't care to address the wrongs that still exist on your world. You've been through so much," she finished with a sad smile.

"How would you know that?" Sam asked, confusion clear on his features.

The Time Lord was also greatly confused. "I was just about to ask the same thing. Glad, I didn't tell you anything about the war on Meridia and I know Pelz didn't tell you."

Pelz himself didn't speak but rather pulled his arms close around his torso as if trying to protect himelf.

"You didn't have to. I feel it. From Mr. Pelz." A tear fell down her cheek. "He's seen too much on his journey. Too many people hurt, too many..."

"Stop it!" Pelz cried out, his voice shaking. "How can you feel what I feel?"

"I don't know," she answered. " But it's true, isn't it."

The Mericon nodded.

"Glad's telepathic?" Sam asked.

"New one to me," the Doctor murmured. "Seems more empathic. Could be that she had some latent empathic abilities that have just come to light..." he murmured, his tone however showing that he had no idea how it could be possible.

"My father told me..." she started and then quieted quickly.

"Told you what?" the Gallifreyan queried, going to her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"He told me never to speak of it to anyone. Said that it would be dangerous. That people wouldn't understand."

Seeing that she was recalcitrant to answer, he assured, "I would understand."

Glad blinked but didn't respond to the assurance. Instead she turned back to the injured man. "I can see that you're a good person. You've tried to do what's right but the weight has become too great. When the Doctor arrived, you thought your planet would get another chance. That he could do what he did before and give them the means to become the kind of people who would make you proud."

The Doctor took a deep breath, dropping his hand from Glad's shoulder. "Sam, why don't you take Glad back to the TARDIS? I'll take care of Pelz."

Sam looked at Pelz and the man nodded, as if all fight had gone out of him. For a moment, the leaper saw in his eyes something similar to the pain he's occasionally had seen in the Gallifreyan's eyes although not quite as profound. "Come on, Glad. You still have another chapter to finish."

The girl agreed but gathered up the flowers, Sam helping her, and the two went off to the TARDIS. Once gone, the Time Lord looked at his surroundings and noticed a downed tree a distance away. "I don't think you'd be comfortable looking up at me anymore than I would be looking down at you. How about we go over there so we can be at an equal level at least?" At the small nod, he operated the control of the chair and guided him to the tree, positioning him so that they could see each other but still having a good view of the beauty around them. He took a seat on the tree and waited for a long moment until Pelz filled the silence.

"We squandered your gift," Pelz stated, ashamed at the admission, his eyes firmly focused on his hands.

"Not all of you did," the Doctor countered. "Only a small number of you did."

"No. More than you think. Glad was right. So many turn a blind eye, refuse to see. That's almost as bad as the ones that prey upon the weak and innocent."

"Yeah," came the solemn response, though there was no accusation in the single word. "Unfortunately, it happens too often, even to the best of us. You tried to make up for them, didn't you."

"If not me, than whom? We have a proud history... or at least we did before the war. Afterwards, the ones who should have been helping lined their own pockets instead of addressing what was rotting inside of us." He finally looked up at the Time Lord's gaze. "I'm sorry. I know you're the last of your race. You've given of yourself so much and I was selfish to want you to fix our mistakes again." A bit of fire almost rekindled. "But I wanted it, _vinz_ it! And you didn't even come back for me! When I reached your box you were having a _fliinking _cup of tea!"

"The mug," the Gallifreyan murmured, remembering that he had been holding Glad's medicinal mug when he had opened the door for the detective. "It wasn't mine. I'd given Glad a sleeping draft, stuck the mug in my pocket."

The non-sequitur response pulled the Meridcon slightly out of his anger. "What? That's stupid. Why would anyone put a mug in their pocket?" Pelz questioned.

"They're bigger on the inside." When the Meridicon gave him a withering look, he reaffirmed, "No, really." He started to pull things out of his pocket to prove his point and, having no other place to put them, dropped them in Pelz's lap. "I wondered where that went," he said as he pulled out a long coil of rope.

With a lap full of various items, the injured man responded. "Okay, enough. I believe you." He paused, allowing the Time Lord the chance to recall his property. "Then what were you doing? You appeared right at the door when I found you?"

"I was at the console, setting it to warn me if there was an emergency with either Sam or Glad. And then... I was going to go after you."

"Why wouldn't Sam Rose take care of any emergency while you were gone?"

The Gallifreyan grimaced slightly, knowing that another issue was about to be brought blatantly back into the light. "Yeah, about that... 'Sam' doesn't mean 'nurse' in the English language. It's his name."

"His? Doctor, I've been a lot of places and seen a lot of bizarre things but one thing I can say for certain, my nurse is _not_ a he."

"Oh, yes, he is." Seeing the look of confusion on the detective's face, he explained as simply as he could the situation concerning Sam and why he looked like Rose Tyler. "Sam is the friend who needed the medicine to recover from ZBI."

Not sure if he fully believed the explanation but accepting it for the moment, the detective's eye's grew wide. "You had a ZBI infected person acting as _my _nurse? Are you _insane_ or just trying to kill me?"

"He's no longer contagious," the Doctor assured. "I would never have even allowed him near you if he had been. And Sam is a physician. Considering you weren't in the best of moods around me, it seemed like the most reasonable thing to let him act as my nurse concerning your recovery."

Pelz tried to summon up indignation for the trickery that had been foist on him but had to admit he had been a most difficult person. Instead he tried to deflect his embarrassment at being fooled. "So I suppose my initial plan to ask Rose out when I'm better is best forgotten."

Again, a look of discomfort flitted across the Time Lord's visage. "Definitely, especially considering neither of you dance that way."

A silence fell between them for a moment.

"Can you?" the Mericon finally asked, breaking the silence once again.

"Umm... that's a rather personal question and, even if I were to, I don't dance that way either."

Pelz looked at the Gallifreyan as if he was out of his mind and then his eyes grew wide. "No. I didn't mean that. Not at all. I...um... well... just, no... not that."

"Oh. Then... what is it that you meant?"

"I want to know... can you give us another chance? Like you did before?"

Realizing that Pelz was referring to his own people, the Time Lord took a breath. "I can't change people, only situations. If your people don't want to be helped, I can't help them. And I'm afraid it would take more than some alien they wouldn't trust to make that kind of change."

"But you're a Time Lord."

"I'm an outsider. Your people aren't going to listen to me a second time."

"But you're a _Time Lord_," Pelz repeated emphatically, his beliefs showing strongly in his vehemence.

Finally, the Doctor made the connection his friend was trying to convey. "That doesn't mean I have some mystical power to change things as they are. I'm limited by the Laws of Time and my own morals in what I can and can't do. Would you have me take your people's freedoms to force you to keep the peace? Impose my will on you?"

"You mean like a dictator?"

"I helped your world find peace when they wanted it but it was your people who decided to take that peace and manipulate it to make your world what it is now. How else would I be able to bring peace back to them if they don't want it?"

"So... for you to help us, we'd have to enslave ourselves because we're unwilling to help ourselves?"

"And I'd have to be willing to do allow you to do that, which I'm not. I can't force your people to do anything they don't want to do."

"Oh." Pelz looked crestfallen. His shoulder sunk lower as if a burden had been placed upon them almost crushing the man.

Sighing, the Gallifreyan leaned forward towards his friend. He could almost see the weight that his words imposed on him. It wasn't difficult to imagine what was running through his head. "Now you know what I mean by saying that you don't let the bad things get to you. I want to help. I really do. But there are some things that I can't do... and neither can you."

"I know. I've been trying since you left. There's just so much to do."

"You can't boil the ocean, Pelz. Well, you can but it's not a good idea. Bad for the environment."

"You're not helping," grumbled the Meridicon, not in the mood for one of Smytty's jokes.

"And you're not understanding the meaning of my words. You can't solve all of the problems of your world at once. You try that and it will destroy you. Trust me. I know. I boiled enough oceans myself."

"It's just that I want to do so much."

"If you really want to make a difference, you must be the one who leads, who shows how things need to be."

"How?"

"Your friend who helped us out at that brothel. Shala. If you're going to start a revolution, it's a good idea to have a second-in-command."

"What can two people do?"

"Well, from what I recall, two people broke into the command center of the military regime, located their weapon control center, and basically made it impossible to launch any of their missiles, thus causing a chain reaction of events which led to the end of a civil war. I believe one of them was named Jordgen Pelz."

"And the other was Joniah Smyt. I doubt we would have gotten as far as we did if you weren't there."

"Maybe. But then you aren't planning on breaking into a military command center in the attempt to end a war. You're planning on making a difference in reforming the peace. And that'll take a lot longer than an afternoon's excursion and few weeks of intense negotiating. It'll take a lifetime. And you are going to need all the help you can get."

Pelz grew quiet. "Do you think there's a chance?"

The Doctor gave him a gentle smile. "If there is one person on Meridia who could get people to make a difference - a good proper lasting difference - it's you. I mean, look what you just did. I wouldn't have found Glad without your help. You found that first brothel which led to Helford which led to Mikon. I couldn't have done it without you any more than I could have stopped the war without you."

Seeing the uncertainty on his friend's face, he reached out and touched his knee. "Pelz, stop looking at the big picture. Yes, there is much that needs to be done and I understand you want to fix everything. But you can't, so focus on the things you _can _fix. You can't do everything and you certainly can't do it alone. Stop trying to boil the ocean at once and on your own, Pelz. Boil one pot at a time and get people to help you do it. Make sure that the people who follow you know what needs to be done so that it will be done. Not in your lifetime, perhaps, but eventually."

The Meridicon didn't respond, his eyes showing that he was seriously thinking about what the Time Lord had said to him. The Doctor allowed him several minutes of silence to himself, knowing that he needed them to start the soul-searching he would be undergoing for the next few hours, perhaps even days. Then standing from his perch, he moved around the wheelchair and unlocked the wheels. "Time to go, I think. Fresh air is a good thing in moderation but, considering your condition, I think it would be wise if you went back inside. Are you hungry?"

"I think I am. Any chance of having more of that chicken dish you made a few days ago?"

The Gallifreyan grinned at the suggestion. "I'm sure I can whip up another batch. Glad you enjoyed it."

"I did. I didn't want to, but..." He paused for a moment. "I'm not really sure what I'm feeling at the moment. I think it's a mix of contriteness, confusion, hope, and being peeved at Rose... er... Sam for tricking me like he did... but I'm not angry anymore. I don't know why you didn't throw me out of here with as much of a _wrovock _as I've been."

The Time Lord shrugged slightly. "You weren't really yourself the last few days. I understand having to cope with conflicting emotions. I think I understand you more than the average person might with how much we have in common."

"Yeah. I think, once I get some things sorted in my head, we need to talk about what I'm going to need to do to help my planet become what I know we can be."

The Doctor smiled, knowing that his friend was on his way back to being the man he'd worked beside to initiate peace those many years and two lifetimes ago. "When you're ready, I'll be here," he answered. "Now let's get back inside."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Once the Doctor had ensured that Pelz had his fill of chicken, as well as other delicacies presented to the Meridicon, he took him back to his room and helped him to get into his bed. The excursions of the day had worn the detective and it was clear that he needed to rest for a few hours. Knowing that Sam was keeping Glad entertained and that there was little he absolutely needed to do, the Doctor returned to the console room in order to find something to distract him. The TARDIS was always in need of attention and he was only too willing to give it some.

Glad walked into the console room holding a large beach bag and dressed in her bathing suit. Looking around the room, she frowned when she couldn't see the Time Lord in spite of knowing that he had gone there - the TARDIS had given her that impression. "Doctor?"

"Yeah?" came a voice from under the grated floor. The Doctor stuck his head out, revealing himself to the teenager while still focused on a piece of equipment in his hand.

"Sam and I are going to go swimming." She smiled. "When I showed him my bathing suit he said I look like a queen!" she exclaimed.

The Doctor raised his head to look at her. He smiled when he saw her attire. "That you do," he agreed.

"What are you doing?"

"Just need to make a few adjustments to the TARDIS before we take off." Seeing Glad frown, he explained, "We aren't staying here much longer. I'm sure Sam's friend is very concerned about him. And I did promise Sam that I would find a way to get him home."

"What do you mean, find a way to get Sam home?" Glad questioned, watching him put the wires aside and crawling up to floor level.

"I'm sorry, Glad, but Sam can't stay."

"Why not? Sam's my friend. You just don't want me to have any friends but you!" she exclaimed.

He turned to her with sad eyes. "You know that isn't true. If I could have Sam here without him taking the rest of Rose's life from her, I would. But right now, he is in Rose's life and I'm pretty sure that he would like to have his own life back."

Glad pouted. "But...what if I don't like Rose?"

"You will," he assured her. "Rose is brilliant. And she'll absolutely adore you." Watching her slump onto the Captain's chair, he sighed. "Glad, Sam has hardly seen his own face in... oh... so many years. Imagine if you woke up and looked in the mirror to see someone else's face. Every day. Is that what you want for him?"

Glad thought about that. "He never sees his own reflection?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No. Right now, when he looks in the mirror, he sees Rose. When he first joined me, he did have an opportunity to do so and it was quite heartbreaking. Other than that, he's only seen his own face twice since 1999, from what he remembers. And I'm guessing, based on him now being in Rose's life, that means he has seen himself only three times in at least seven years."

Glad was quiet again. Finally she said, "That's not right. He should be able to live his life as himself not someone else." She looked up at the Doctor. "I'll miss him, though."

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. Me too." Giving her a weak smile, he instructed, "Go show him what I taught you. Impress the hell out of him."

She brightened. "Yeah. At least we can have fun today." She started to go to retrieve Sam when he made his entrance wearing a tankini.

"Rose doesn't go for one-pieces I found," he said in explanation.

The Gallifreyan tried hard to hide the smile on his face and failed miserably. "Well... umm... at least... you're covered." A second later, he found himself laughing at Sam's expense, seeing both Sam's image and Rose's in the semi-revealing outfit.

Sam shot the Doctor a glare. He turned to Glad. "Come on. Let's go swimming. I don't want to provide the Doctor with any more comedy than necessary."

Glad just frowned at the Doctor's laughter before turning towards Sam. "What's so funny?" she questioned.

The Doctor stopped, biting his lip. "Nothing. Nothing at all. Go have fun. See you in a couple of hours."

Sam walked out of the TARDIS with as much dignity as he could muster. Although Al had often told him that he didn't make a fine looking woman, he still tried to present himself as best he could. Since starting to leap, he'd become way too closely aware of the discomfort of women's clothing. High heels were his number one bane. Usually, being Rose wasn't too bad. She mostly dressed comfortable anyway. This swimsuit, though... His thought trailed off. "Yeah. See you then," Sam tossed back.

It was a good three hours before Sam and Glad returned to the TARDIS, both only damp after their swims and the walk back. Glad was practically bouncing into the time ship, a huge smile on her face, ignoring the grass that was in her hair. Sam also had a few blades in his hair.

"He tickled me!" Glad tattle-taled. "Hard!"

"Only because she started it," Sam defended himself.

"Oh, just because I learned how to sneak up under you in the lake doesn't mean you have to go tickling me the first chance you get."

The Doctor felt Sam's accusing eyes on him. "Oi! Not my fault," he protested. "I didn't teach her that."

"Yeah, but you know she's a quick learner," Sam countered.

"So, it's my fault she's mischievous? What did she do anyway?"

"She emulates you way too much." Nodding towards Glad, he answered the Doctor's question. "She pulled me underwater. I hate it when I get water up my nose."

The Gallifreyan couldn't help but laugh at his words. "You're such a child," he stated plainly, not specifying whom he was referring to. "Anyway... why don't you two get cleaned up? We're taking off in a couple of minutes."

"Really? Why?" Sam asked.

"Well, you're recovered from your illness enough that you can interact with other people. And Pelz is getting better every day. The least I can do is make sure that he's safe from Mikon's men and give him a head's up in his new life. Can't do that here."

"Who's Mikon?"

"The bad man who hurt me," Glad responded with a glare.

"Is there any way to make him pay for what he did to Glad?" Sam asked, seeking justice for the girl.

"He's dead," the Time Lord stated bluntly. "Pelz took care of that."

"Good," Glad stated firmly.

The Gallifreyan gave her a surprised look, disapproving of her attitude on the matter. Deciding that it was an issue he needed to address with her one-on-one, he let the matter slide for the moment before continuing with his explanation. "He won't hurt anyone else but his organization will. That's why we need to take Pelz back to his home system. I don't think he'll be able to go back to Meridia for a while but there are six other city planets in the Conglomeration where he will be safe and can still be part of the change his people need."

"I wish him the best with that. I've gotten to know him pretty well as his nurse. We've talked a lot about a lot of things including his planet."

"And he apparently appreciated your efforts. However, you may find him less than amicable towards you for a few days. He knows you're not Rose Tyler," the Time Lord added in an off-hand manner.

"How?"

"I told him. He's a bit upset with you at the moment but I'm sure he'll get over that eventually."

"Great," Sam grumbled at the news.

"Pelz is a good man but he is a Meridicon. They don't embrace new ideas quite as quickly as humans. Took me three weeks just to get them to agree that their civil war wasn't such a good idea after all."

"Don't tell me it'll take three weeks for him to reconcile with me."

"Oh, no. He's a bit more reasonable than the average Meridicon. A few days, like he did with me."

"Yeah. I guess I can spend the next few days with Glad and avoid him. Seemed to work for you."

"We can go swimming again in the library pool," Glad offered.

"There's a pool in the library? Why? Aren't you worried about getting the books wet?

"They're waterproof," the Gallifreyan offered. "You can swim and read at the same time."

"Right... and on that note, I'm going to go get cleaned up," Sam said leaving the room.

"Well, I'm going to the library. I still want to swim," she started for the inner door.

"Wash up first," the Doctor called to her. "I don't want grass in my pool or anything else you might have picked up from that lake."

"Okay. I'll go take a bath first... but then I'm going swimming!"

The Gallifreyan laughed as he set the controls to send his ship back into the vortex.

Once they exited the vortex and landed on yet another planet - the Doctor wouldn't say which one and asked Sam and Glad to stay inside - the Doctor was vacant from the TARDIS for the next ten days. He didn't explain to any of his friends the reason for his absence, just indicating it was necessary. In the meantime, Sam eased his way back into Pelz's trust. Eventually Pelz accepted that Sam, trickster or not, was a good doctor that only had his well being at heart. He accepted the therapy sessions designed to help rebuild his ability to walk. He'd reached the point of being able to get around with the occasional help of a cane when the Doctor came in one day and told Sam and Glad he needed to spend some time alone with his old friend.

"I see you're getting around better," the Time Lord commented, pointing out the cane in the Meridicon's hand.

"Yeah. Sam's been working with me. It's not so bad once you understand he's not what he appears to be, even if I am still having trouble with the whole him looking like a woman. Weird but I'm getting used to it."

"It's easier when you can see both images and pick from them." Seeing the frown on Pelz's features, he shrugged. "Time Lord ability."

"I'm sure it comes in handy with all the 'people hidden in auras' situations you run across."

The Gallifreyan pulled his ear. "Not that there are many." He grinned at his friend, glad to hear his dry sense of humor in his words. "I was wondering... have you thought about what we talked about the other day?"

Wrinkling his forehead in confusion, the detective responded, "The other day? You've been gone a whole _loquat_."

"Has it been that long?" The Time Lord knew that, in Meridian terms, a _loquat_ was one planetary week. "Been busy. So, have you been thinking about it?"

"About taking on a lifelong mission? Yeah. It's been on my mind. Sam's actually got some good advice on how a small change can lead to ripple effects and Glad, strangely enough, has the concept of service to country down pretty good." He paused. "I think I'm ready but I don't really know where to start. I'd like to be the one to lead my people out of the current state of affairs but I can't go back to Meridia. I wouldn't get very far at stopping all the gangs and the corruption, that's for sure. I'd probably end up in the bottom of the Granea River, weighted down to keep me with the _fjarnopes_."

"I never said you'd have to go back to Meridia." The Time Lord gestured for him to follow. "Come on. Let's take walk."

Pelz stood up with the help of his cane, barely a limp showing as he followed the Doctor. The journey through the TARDIS was short, the Doctor walking slowly and his friend following. Going through the console room to the outer door, he stopped and looked towards his friend. "After you," he told him, gesturing towards the door.

Reaching out, he opened the door. The first thing he was aware of was that they were no longer on the peaceful planet where they had spent time recuperating. The second thing he noticed was the general parochial look to the place. "Where are we?" he asked.

"Fedona Minor," the Gallifreyan answered, leaning against the TARDIS. "Tiny little backwater planet, very friendly inhabitants. You'll be safe here."

"I bet. This is one of the outermost planets of the Conglomeration." Pelz paused. "Your ship took us here," he stated rather than questioned. This being his first trip while he was actually conscious on a TARDIS, he was rather amazed. "How long have we been here?"

"A _loquat _and a day," the Gallifreyan answered.

"So the entire time you were gone, you were on this planet."

"Yup."

"Why? I mean, why here?"

"Well, I knew you'd eventually come to a decision concerning what we discussed and I had a feeling that my old friend who helped me bring the end to a civil war would re-emerge. So I decided to give you a leg up of sorts. Like I said, it's a nice little backwater planet. But it isn't so isolated as to prevent contact with Meridia." He tugged on his left ear. "You could easily set up a covert operations base here, maybe one that attacks blatant injustices occurring back home."

Pelz shook his head. "That kind of work would take _krekkers_ I just don't have. It's a great idea, of course. Just not really feasible."

The Doctor dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a couple of bags. "Well, then, you'll probably need these."

The man blinked. 'How'd you do that? You a magician or something?"

"Oh, Time Lord technology," the Gallifreyan replied, handing over the bags. "That should cover you for a short time."

"You counterfeited them?"

"What? No! Just had them in my pocket." Seeing the lost look on Pelz's face, he clarified. "It's bigger on the inside, remember?"

"So these are real," Pelz confirmed as the Doctor nodded. "And then what? Even with this amount of money, I wouldn't even be able to scratch the surface."

"Well, you contact your friend Shala for one."

"Okay. I was going to do that anyway. It was a good idea. But then what? We're only two people."

"Do you think I was having a holiday here for the last _loquat_? Well... there were those two days. But the rest of the time, I was setting you up here. Figured you'd need help getting started as well as a cover. You're now the proud owner of a shipping company. Should be able to generate enough profits to put back into social justice projects."

His friend was stunned. "You... I..." He swallowed tightly, overcome by the generosity. "I can truly make a difference then. It would be slow starting the work but... with Shala's help..."

"All those innocent people trapped in lives they never asked for. All those criminals getting away with their crimes because their government turns a blind eye to those with power... You can help make Meridia the planet you fought for during the Great Civil War."

Pelz nodded. "I thought we were ready for great changes. Instead, we fell back to the past." He paused, thinking. "No, that's not right. We fell back to worst than before."

"War tends to do that," the Doctor told him solemnly. "It could have become far worse if I hadn't negotiated that peace treaty. At least there is a chance now. Only problem is too few are willing to take it. So... what do you think? You could help your people here at a distance or, if you don't want that, I can find somewhere else you could hide out."

The new merchant shipper shook his head. "No. This is the right place. They'd never think of looking for me here, especially if I change my name and such. I can get in touch with Shala I'm sure she'll be up to fighting these bastards as well."

"Yeah... about the name... I sort of gave you one."

His friend, remembering the name he'd been given when they were acting as interested brothel patrons, groaned. "Not Larnz Glopz!"

"No! Why would I name you Larnz Glopz? I mean, permanently." He gave him a wry smile, showing that the naming at the brothel was more of a joke than anything else - a means of keeping him from going completely mad from anxiety. "No, it's a perfectly normal name. Genardt Penzel, proprietor of Penzel Shipping."

"Genardt Penzel. Has a nice ring to it. Thanks."

The Doctor nodded. "Right then. Good luck," he told him, shaking his friend's hand. "Take care of yourself." He turned towards the TARDIS.

Penzel né Pelz looked at his friend. "You're leaving? Now?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, turning back towards him. "You yourself said I couldn't stay."

"Yeah, but I thought... you'd be around at least a little longer. Hell, we haven't even had a celebratory drink and I'd like to say goodbye to Sam and Glad."

"Well... I suppose a drink would be in order. And I'm pretty sure that Glad would have my head if I didn't let you say goodbye to her," the Time Lord realized. "Better safe than sorry... or headless."

The two went back to the TARDIS where the group had a chance to have one last meal together. Hugs and handshakes later, the Meridicon walked out of the TARDIS a final time. They went to the Penzel Shipping Company and the Doctor gave him a quick tour and some final advice. "Now, put those _krekkers _in an account with compound interest and you'll have a great emergency fund." Seeing Penzel raise a surprised eyebrow, he pulled out a book and handed it to him. "At least that's what they tell me at the Fedona Minor Greater Saving and Loan. You've got an account there as well. See, I learned some things from my travels."

Penzel's face took on a look of absolute gratitude. "You're a good man, Joniah Smyt," he said, he voice nearly cracking from the emotion.

"I'm the Doctor," he reminded his friend gently.

"I know, but somehow, when I call you 'Doctor', things get dangerous. I figure as long as I'm Genardt Penzel, it doesn't hurt for you to keep the name you used when I met you." He paused. "Will you be back?"

"Oh, absolutely," the Time Lord assured him with a smile. "Besides... I have to see just how brilliant you'll become. Even more brilliant than you are now."

The Meridicon looked down at the cane. "I don't feel so brilliant at the moment." He looked back up and into the eyes of his friend. "So, will you look different again when you come back?"

"Don't know," the Time Lord answered with a shrug. "Maybe. Hope not."

"Well, as always, it's been interesting. Looks like it's time for a new start... again." Penzel put his hand out. "It's been an honor to assist you once more, Doctor. As much as I fear that the next time we meet, we'll have new serious issues to address, I still look forward to seeing you. Safe journeys."

"And you," the Doctor replied, accepting his hand once again before pulling him into a hug. "Take care," he told him before releasing his hold and going back the TARDIS.

The former detective watched until his friend was out of sight. He then turned and walked into his new establishment, his mind beginning to turn on the plans he would put into place to give the Doctor something to be proud of when he returned.


	17. Meridian Dictionary

**Meridian Dictionary**

_Barcha _

an extremely insulting word towards females

_Blimmb _

an extremely coarse insult, like a whore

_Briztlets _

an exclamation of frustration

_Chutia_

a humanoid hymen

_Dalow_

an exclamation of surprise

_Fjarnopes _

a small fish

_Flarg_

an idiot

_Fliinking _

a conjugation of the word _fliinkoid_

_Fliinkoid _

a crude curse word, similar to "fuck" in English

_Flitter_

an inexpensive and inefficient motorized vehicle

_Ghirm_

a short, hairy jackal-like animal

_Helgleg_

an invalid

_Jrevbu_

crap

_Jrulubees_

cute little tailless mousy hamster-like mammals

_Krekker_

a monetary unit in the Great Meridian Conglomeration (100 krekkers = 1 USD)

_Loquat_

a Meridian planetary week

_Malarpal_

a root vegetable

_Notrisz _

a person with homosexual tendencies

_Ofenvorldkin _

an offworlder

_Peeper_

private detective

_Phenix acid_

common cleaning solvent that acts like chloroform when inhaled directly

_Phlepper_

a very nasty poisonous bug

_Prat_

a common Meridian insult against females

_Prizlo_

a kind of nut on the planet of Glantz

_Rizzard_

a bastard

_Scitwold _

a colloquial term for a very bad situation

_Sutrm_

a common cooking pot

_Vinz _

curse word similar to "damn"

_Wavestone_

a common gem

_Wegp_

worthless junk

_Wopruts _

a canine-type predator

_Wrovock_

bastard

_Wyt_

Meridian slang for a Jon

_Zinter_

a small bird, similar to a canary


End file.
